From BBC News · · 3m
Eating weeds to survive in Russian-occupied Oleshky
Residents of a Ukrainian city cut off from food and water since 2022 are cooking garden weeds and facing severe shortages as Russia restricts humanitarian aid.
In brief
Residents of a Ukrainian city cut off from food and water since 2022 are cooking garden weeds and facing severe shortages as Russia restricts humanitarian aid. Oleshky's six thousand remaining residents face starvation and disease under Russian occupation, with aid blocked and bodies left unburied as a tool of…
Two killed bringing food home
A husband and wife were killed by a drone on September twentieth while carrying food from Radensk, twenty-three kilometres away, after missing a Russian-imposed curfew in occupied Oleshky.
“Two more civilians died last night”
City trapped since 2022
Oleshky in southern Kherson has been under Russian occupation since twenty twenty-two, surrounded by the Dnipro River and Russian forces, with constant shelling and no food or water access.
Dam collapse worsened conditions
The Nova Khakovka Dam collapsed in twenty twenty-three, flooding buildings to their rooftops. Ukraine and NATO accused Russia of blowing it up; Russia blamed Ukraine.
Population collapsed from 24,000
Oleshky was home to twenty-four thousand people before Russia's full-scale invasion. The Ukrainian government now estimates six thousand remain, including two hundred children.
Children suffering malnutrition
Residents say children in Oleshky are suffering from malnutrition, lack of medical services, and degrading without access to education. Only one hospital operates partially, opening a few days weekly.
Last food delivery in May
Resident Halia says there is no food in the city and the last delivery was in May. She eats once a day: plain bread sometimes with tomato or honey, and tea.
“I eat once a day, a dinner only”
Residents cooking garden weeds
Many residents have turned to cooking garden weeds after running out of summer vegetables. Local Telegram chats discuss which weeds are safe to eat and how to boil them.
No utilities for three years
Oleshky has had no electricity, gas or water since the Kakhovka dam was attacked three years ago. No shops are open; residents cannot source clothes or hygiene products.
At least 1,200 deaths recorded
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission recorded at least twenty-nine civilians killed in Oleshky this year, but volunteer Ksenia Arkhipova has compiled a spreadsheet with around one thousand two hundred deaths.
“I've got around 1,200 people now”
Bodies left unburied as pressure
Russian authorities restrict burials, demanding post mortem examination by Russian doctors for non-natural deaths. Some bodies have been on streets since December. Charity co-founder Ester Vrataryova calls this psychological pressure.
“This is a tool of psychological pressure”
Bodies piling up in morgue
Bodies are piling up in the local hospital morgue, which has had no power since winter, or stray dogs are eating them. This has been verified by the BBC through pictures from residents.
At a glance
Oleshky's six thousand remaining residents face starvation and disease under Russian occupation, with aid blocked and bodies left unburied as a tool of psychological pressure.
