The city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine, currently under Russian control, faces a mounting humanitarian crisis as roughly 2,000 civilians remain trapped amid a blockade that has cut off food, medical supplies, and safe passage. The city, located across the Dnieper River from Kherson, sits on a heavily contested frontline where ongoing military operations and the presence of mines and drones have made deliveries and evacuations nearly impossible.

Residents and local leaders, including the city’s exiled head Tetiana Hasanenko, have portrayed a dire situation marked by starvation, lack of clean water, electricity, and medical care. Reports from those remaining in Oleshky describe dwindling food supplies, with some resorting to cooking meager meals from the last remaining vegetables. One resident wrote, “In the autumn, we will definitely die,” while others spoke of enduring an unrelenting barrage of drone attacks and fires that have transformed the city into a “horror movie.”

The conflict’s complexity contributes to the stalemate, as Russian forces occupy Oleshky while Ukrainian troops control nearby Kherson. Both sides launch attacks across the river, further endangering civilians and hampering aid efforts. Ukrainian officials accuse Russian forces of deliberately blocking evacuations and using residents as human shields to prevent a Ukrainian military advance, fearing that an evacuation would expose Russian troops to defeat. Ukrainian authorities also allege that Russian forces have attacked drones dropping relief supplies and confiscated food shipments.

Moscow denies these accusations, instead blaming Ukrainian forces for the crisis. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the “Ukrainian Armed Forces are preventing people from leaving the city and are using drones to disrupt food and drinking water deliveries.” The Kremlin acknowledged that a “genuine humanitarian catastrophe” is occurring but attributed responsibility to Kyiv.

The last humanitarian food convoy reached Oleshky by road in late May but was halted after several drivers were killed. Since then, Ukraine has attempted to deliver aid by drone, though many shipments have reportedly been intercepted by Russian forces. The ongoing drone activity overhead makes leaving the city perilous, with residents risking their lives to escape on foot, bicycles, or motorbikes despite the dangers presented by mines and crossfire.

Adding to the city's hardships, Oleshky suffered a major flood last year following an explosion at a nearby dam, further degrading infrastructure and living conditions. Once a thriving town of more than 20,000 people, Oleshky is now described by some former residents as a war-ravaged landscape of destroyed homes, abandoned and burned vehicles, and unburied bodies.

Human rights activists and Ukrainian officials have called on international organizations such as the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to establish safe corridors for civilian evacuation. However, efforts to negotiate such arrangements have so far failed amid deep mistrust and ongoing hostilities.

Many inside Oleshky have lost hope of surviving the winter amid the severe shortages and constant danger. Relatives and those who have fled report heartrending pleas for assistance, with some residents expressing anger and despair over the lack of effective external help. The situation remains one of the most acute humanitarian challenges in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, underscoring the difficulty in protecting civilians caught in frontline zones.