Nataliia, one of the few residents to escape the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine, described harrowing conditions marked by starvation, violence, and constant threat from mines and drone attacks. After a perilous journey in September, she reached Ukrainian-controlled territory and recounted scenes that evoke wartime suffering rarely seen in Europe since World War II.
Oleshky, a town with a pre-war population of approximately 24,000, is now estimated to hold fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, including around 35 children, according to Tetiana Hasanenko, the exiled head of the town’s military administration. Many residents are elderly or bedridden, facing a dire winter without evacuation. The town has been under Russian control since early in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and turned into a frontline area following the withdrawal of Russian troops across the Dnipro River from the regional capital Kherson in November that year.
Humanitarian conditions have deteriorated sharply. Regular food deliveries ceased on May 26, leaving residents with no electricity, heating, or clean drinking water. Nurseries and basic medical services are barely functioning. The town’s streets are reportedly littered with the bodies of civilians killed by landmines and drone strikes; some of these remains have been consumed by stray dogs, while others have yet to be recovered, particularly those who died during the harsh winter months when temperatures plunged to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
“Our own small vegetable gardens sustained us through the summer,” Nataliia said. “But by the end of August, everything ran out. Every morning was a question of what we would eat.” Russian forces have restricted fishing, collecting firewood, and other attempts to gather food. In one incident, a local man was reportedly shot dead near the riverbank.
The town also suffered from flooding caused by the destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam in 2023, with hundreds believed to have drowned. The situation further worsened in January when Russian troops began laying mines around Oleshky. These restrictions have created what locals refer to as the “Road of Death,” a 12-mile route heavily mined and exposed to drone attacks, which some risk to travel to the nearby town of Radensk for supplies.
Despite attempts by Ukraine to drop food parcels into Oleshky via drones, Russian forces have seized some deliveries and arrested residents who accepted aid, Hasanenko said. Prices for basic food items have skyrocketed, with reports in September citing a loaf of bread costing as much as several thousand roubles.
Casualties include civilians killed in drone strikes, such as a woman named Alla, who died in April. Her body reportedly remained on the street for six weeks before Russian authorities allowed her to be moved, by which time it had been partially consumed by dogs.
On Friday, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to impose a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into Oleshky and to evacuate trapped residents. Russia has stated it will cooperate but offered no concrete details, while Ukrainian officials remain skeptical, accusing Russia of using the town’s inhabitants as human shields to deter Kyiv’s counteroffensives. Moscow denies responsibility for the blockade and blames Ukraine without providing evidence.
Nataliia’s escape involved a carefully coordinated route guided by a Ukrainian volunteer group’s drone to navigate the dangerous terrain. Only four of the initial group of eleven reached the Russian border; others were detained or remained stranded in the occupied region due to destroyed documents or failed attempts to obtain Russian passports—documents some residents were compelled to accept for access to services under occupation.
The group underwent interrogation at the border but were ultimately allowed to travel through Russia and Belarus over three days before entering Ukrainian-controlled territory via a humanitarian corridor. Nataliia described ongoing trauma from the experience, still sensitive to sounds reminiscent of drone attacks.
Her account underscores the severe humanitarian crisis endured by communities trapped in conflict zones and the complex challenges facing civilians amid ongoing hostilities in southern Ukraine.