Critical situation in Oleshky serves as warning against normalising occupation: Russia is effectively keeping population trapped, - Sybiha
Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, has commented on the critical situation in Oleshky, in the Kherson region, which is temporarily occupied by Russia.
He wrote about this on the social media platform X, according to Censor.NET.
The people of Oleshky are trapped by the Russian Federation
"Russia is effectively holding the civilian population there in a trap, without access to food, medicines and essential supplies. In the heart of Europe, in 2026, people are suffering from a humanitarian crisis caused by Russia," he said.
Sybiha added that Ukraine is working with all its partners and relevant international organisations, calling for joint efforts to ensure immediate access to Oleshky and the surrounding areas, as well as the establishment of humanitarian corridors.
"This extremely dire situation also serves as a stark reminder of the reality for all those who speak lightly of leaving Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation. These are not merely lines on a map to be discussed at the negotiating table. Real people live there, and their daily lives are dictated by the occupying authorities, who have already demonstrated how they treat Ukrainians under their control," the minister emphasised.
He noted that the situation in Oleshky serves as a warning against the normalisation of the occupation: "Any serious discussion of peace must take into account the interests of people whose lives and fundamental rights are under threat."
Humanitarian disaster in Oleshky
- At the end of March 2026, Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights, appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian side regarding the humanitarian disaster in the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region.
- It is known that around 2,000 civilians remain cut off from the outside world in the occupied town of Oleshky.
- The Regional Military Administration also reported that the bodies of the deceased have been left unburied for weeks, and that the logistics infrastructure has been completely destroyed – the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region is under a complete humanitarian blockade.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross is trying to obtain information about the situation in the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region.
- Ombudsman Lubinets stated that the residents of Oleshky are being prepared for evacuation.
