Ukraine has received more than 120 appeals from residents of occupied Oleshky about humanitarian catastrophe. DOCUMENT
The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights is maintaining communication with the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the organization of the evacuation of residents of occupied Oleshky.
This is stated in the response of the Commissioner’s Secretariat to Censor.NET’s request.
Details
The Commissioner’s Secretariat has already sent the ICRC a list of citizens who need assistance, including with leaving the area. The information is being processed with due regard for security and international law.
Between early February and 5 May 2026, the Commissioner received 127 appeals from residents of Oleshky. People report a critical humanitarian situation: limited access to food, water and medical assistance, constant shelling and bombing, and the absence of safe evacuation routes. Those affected include children, elderly people and persons with disabilities.
The Commissioner’s Secretariat stressed that the current situation is unacceptable and contradicts international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Information on human rights violations is being recorded, but there is no information on materials being transferred to judicial authorities.
At the same time, an agreement has been reached with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense that, after the relevant measures are finalized and approved, the necessary steps will be taken to ensure the safety of civilians who have expressed a desire to leave the city of Oleshky and nearby settlements, with the aim of enabling their safe departure and preventing threats to their lives and health. From a legal standpoint, evacuation measures must be organized in compliance with international humanitarian law, taking security and operational factors into account. In this context, it is important, where possible, to ensure proper security guarantees for civilians, including through the involvement of international humanitarian organizations (including the ICRC), medical support and other necessary measures.
Background
In late March 2026, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian side over the humanitarian catastrophe in the occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region.
It is known that about 2,000 civilians remain cut off from the outside world in occupied Oleshky.
The regional military administration also reported that the bodies of the dead have remained unburied for weeks, while logistics have been completely destroyed. The occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region is in a state of complete humanitarian blockade.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is trying to obtain information about the situation in occupied Oleshky, Kherson region.
Ombudsman Lubinets said that residents of Oleshky are being prepared for evacuation.
