Residents of occupied town of Oleshky are fleeing town on their own by mopeds, bicycles and on foot, – Lubinets. VIDEO
Residents of Oleshky are trying to escape the occupied town on their own, faced with a choice between two threats – being blown up by a landmine or dying of starvation.
According to Censor.NET, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has written about this on his Telegram channel, posting a video which, it is claimed, shows locals attempting to escape the city.
They are fleeing on foot and by bicycle without a safe route
"The video shows what is happening to our people in Oleshky right now. Today, dozens of people are leaving the town. On their own. Some on bicycles. Some on mopeds. Some are walking. Without proper transport. Without a safe route. Without any guarantee that they will even make it," he emphasises.
According to Lubinets, people know there may be landmines along the way. But staying behind also means risking their lives. Because in occupied Oleshky, people have been left without the bare essentials – food, clean water and medicines.
"The choice Russia forces on civilians every day: stay – and die of starvation; leave – and risk being blown up by a landmine. Russia’s actions against Ukraine reveal the true face of the devil. This is genocide, which the occupiers have been committing since 2014. These actions constitute a gross violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. That is why it is vital to focus all attention on this issue. We must save people whilst there are still people to save," he added.
A call for the UN and the ICRC to intervene and save people
Lubinec emphasises that people need a safe corridor, assistance and a chance to survive.
He has appealed to international partners to help save these people.
"I have previously sent letters to the ICRC and the UN. Everything had been agreed. But Russia has no humanity in its soul and is blocking the evacuation. In Oleshky and the surrounding settlements, there are people just like us. And right now, they can still be saved. While there are still people to save," concludes the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights.
Humanitarian disaster in Oleshky
- At the end of March 2026, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, 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 remained unburied for weeks, and that 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 attempting to obtain information on 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.
- Earlier, Tetyana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky City Military Administration, reported that people in the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region are starving due to a lack of supplies, and some families have already started eating their dogs.
- At the end of September 2026, drones were used to deliver around 4,000 kg of food to 100 locations across the town.
- According to Ukrainian intelligence, the Russian Federation is staging videos in Oleshky. Locals will be forced to say on camera that they are happy, well-fed and grateful to the Russian occupiers.
