Oleshky residents face deepening humanitarian crisis under occupation

Global Watch | 2026-07-19

Residents of Oleshky in the Russian-occupied Kherson region continue to endure severe shortages of food, water, electricity and medical care more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The situation has been compounded by the long-term effects of the 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka dam, continuing hostilities and restrictions imposed by occupying authorities.

Former residents describe a gradual erosion of normal life in which obtaining basic necessities or attempting to leave the city can expose civilians to serious danger.

Local accounts describe daily struggles to obtain clean water and even limited electricity. Many residents depend on wells, generators, solar panels and wood-burning stoves.

Increasingly scarce food deliveries are also difficult for elderly or less-mobile people to reach.

These conditions have left vulnerable groups, including older people, residents with disabilities and those requiring regular medical treatment, particularly exposed.

Ukrainian authorities estimate that around 2,000 people remain in Oleshky, compared with approximately 24,000 before the invasion.

The crisis reflects broader patterns across occupied frontline communities in southern Ukraine, where damaged infrastructure, more than 5,000 recorded drone attacks against civilians in the Kherson region and landmines have obstructed essential services, humanitarian deliveries and civilian evacuations.

Services remain severely limited

Former residents interviewed by Human Rights Watch described a near-total collapse of public utilities in Oleshky.

They said the city had no regular electricity or gas supply, forcing residents to rely on diesel generators, solar panels and wood-burning stoves.

Fuel for generators has become increasingly scarce and expensive.

Poor electricity and telecommunications access has also made it harder for residents to obtain information, contact relatives or coordinate possible departures from the city.

Water access remains another pressing concern.

Former residents said Oleshky had lacked running water since the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and that people drew water from private wells.

Some used solar installations to operate pumps and refrigerators.

Food deliveries have become rare and unpredictable, echoing a wider wartime breakdown in the production, storage and transport systems on which food security depends.

The United Nations reported that the last grocery store in Oleshky stopped regular operations in January because of a lack of supplies.

Residents subsequently relied on preserved food and limited private deliveries. These were often inaccessible to people unable to reach distribution points.

Medical care is also barely functioning.

Oleshky District Hospital operates with limited capacity using emergency generator power.

Residents told UN monitors that ambulances had stopped visiting homes and that medical assistance was available only in urgent cases.

Four injured patients requiring transfer to another hospital could not be evacuated. One died while waiting for transport.

Repression shapes daily existence

The material crisis exists alongside the administrative controls imposed across Russian-occupied Ukraine.

UN monitors have documented sustained pressure on residents of occupied territories to obtain Russian citizenship and use Russian documents to access employment, benefits and other essential services.

These policies create difficult choices for civilians seeking to preserve their Ukrainian identity while meeting basic needs.

Occupying authorities have also restricted freedom of movement, access to independent information and expressions of support for Ukraine.

For Oleshky residents attempting to leave, the greatest immediate dangers include drone attacks, landmines and the absence of an organized evacuation system.

Roads into and out of the city have become hazardous. Attacks on vehicles have disrupted food deliveries, medical transfers and private evacuation efforts.

The UN reported that a vehicle convoy transporting food and humanitarian aid struck a landmine at the entrance to Oleshky on June 2, killing one person and injuring three others.

Frequent drone activity has also forced some residents to travel long distances on foot.

Older people, residents with disabilities and wounded or sick civilians face particular difficulty leaving.

No organized evacuation system currently exists for those requiring assistance, although discussions have taken place over a possible local ceasefire to allow civilians to depart.

The combination of material hardship, administrative pressure and frontline isolation has reduced life in Oleshky to a struggle for survival.

Residents who remain need reliable access to food, medicine and essential services. Those wishing to leave require a safe and voluntary evacuation route.