Severe Humanitarian Emergency in Occupied Oleksky
Since May 26, 2026, the town of Oleksky, located on the left bank of the Dnipro River, has been cut off from all food supplies, plunging its population into a dire humanitarian emergency. Approximately 1,700 individuals remain trapped inside the city, including many elderly residents and people with disabilities. The only road connecting Oleksky to nearby Radenka, about 22 kilometers away, is heavily mined and monitored by military drones, making any attempt to leave extremely perilous.
Residents are suffering from severe hunger, lack of medical care, and constant danger from landmines and shelling, which have already caused casualties. Although Ukrainian forces managed to deliver a small amount of aid—four tons of food via drones in late September 2026—this assistance falls far short of meeting the city's needs. The occupying authorities have imposed a ban on burying the dead and are repressing anyone who receives help or tries to escape.
Oleksky has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the full-scale invasion. The situation worsened dramatically after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam three years ago, which left the town without electricity or water and flooded large parts of the area up to six meters deep. The local hospital is overwhelmed and lacks essential medicines, while dozens of bodies await burial in a basement.
Life Under Occupation
Fear and hardship dominate daily life for Oleksky's residents. Russian forces have threatened locals with weapons and demanded food supplies. Vitaliy, one of the trapped residents, shared, “We lost all hope of receiving help. We had no choice but to save ourselves.” His family survived the summer of 2026 on a meager ration of one cup of rice or buckwheat for three people per day. Faced with the risk of starvation or attempting escape through minefields under drone surveillance, they chose the dangerous path to survive.
Human rights defender Myroslava Kharchenko warned, “Those left behind will simply die of hunger; they won’t survive the coming winter.” The occupying forces have prohibited burials, citing the need for forensic investigations into alleged Ukrainian war crimes. Ukrainian authorities and activists report systematic abductions of civilians by Russian forces, with many victims disappearing after being taken to detention basements. Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the Oleksky Military Administration, stated, “We know of multiple cases where people were punished and never returned. It was a one-way journey.”
Pope Leo XIV has called for an immediate ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid, expressing deep concern over the crisis affecting occupied regions like Oleksky. Hasanenko reflected on the town's past, saying, “Oleksky was once a prosperous European town surrounded by forest, river, and steppe. Now, this is what remains.”
Vitaliy and his family have since relocated to temporary housing near Kyiv at the Save Ukraine center, where they receive support. He recalled the emotional moment of returning to Ukrainian-controlled territory: “Stepping on our homeland, seeing border markers, and being greeted by Ukrainian soldiers—it was an incredible feeling: I was home, and the nightmare was behind me.”
The humanitarian situation in Oleksky continues to deteriorate, with residents trapped in a life-threatening predicament amid ongoing military threats and no safe evacuation routes. International organizations' appeals for aid and ceasefire grow more urgent as civilian suffering intensifies in this besieged area.
As the situation in Oleksky deteriorates, it's crucial to recognize that other regions under occupation are facing similar crises. For instance, over 6,000 people stranded in Oleshky are enduring extreme shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. Understanding the broader context of these humanitarian emergencies can shed light on the ongoing struggles faced by civilians in conflict zones. To learn more about the dire circumstances in Oleshky, visit the ongoing humanitarian crisis there.