Ukraine brings humanitarian disaster in Kherson region before UN General Assembly
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (photo: facebook.com andrij.sybiha)
Ukraine is taking the humanitarian disaster in the occupied Kherson region to the international level. The situation in Oleshky city will be a recurring issue at the UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha says.
What Ukraine will do
According to the foreign minister, Ukraine has been consistently raising the humanitarian situation in Oleshky at international forums, including the UN Security Council and the OSCE Permanent Council. The next step will be the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Sybiha said Ukrainian diplomats have already received clear instructions to mobilize international pressure to establish a humanitarian corridor, deliver food and medicine, and evacuate civilians. He also plans to discuss the situation with Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"Russia must be held accountable for deliberately creating a humanitarian disaster in the occupied Kherson region," the minister stressed.
Situation in Oleshky
About 24,000 people lived in Oleshky city before the full-scale invasion. Today, around 2,000 remain, including approximately 50 children.
The city has no electricity or gas, while deliveries of food, medicine, and other basic necessities have been completely blocked over the past month.
"Terrifying reports are coming from occupied Oleshky about how people are trying to survive under the blockade created by Russia: they search for scraps of food and gather grass because there is simply nothing else to eat," Sybiha wrote.
Destroyed Oleshky in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region, Ukraine (photo: 34th Separate Marine Brigade Borysfen)
Destroyed Oleshky in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region, Ukraine (photo: 34th Separate Marine Brigade Borysfen)
Destroyed Oleshky in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region, Ukraine (photo: 34th Separate Marine Brigade Borysfen)
Destroyed Oleshky in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region, Ukraine (photo: 34th Separate Marine Brigade Borysfen)
The minister described attacks on civilians as a separate dimension of Russia's terror. According to him, Russian FPV drones pursue and attack civilians, turning even an attempt to leave their home into a deadly risk.
Who is ready to help
Minister Sybiha stressed that there are ways to save people and that Ukraine is working to arrange an orderly evacuation. The International Committee of the Red Cross is ready to join the effort, humanitarian organizations are prepared to deliver aid, and volunteers are risking their lives to bring food and water to residents.
"The only obstacle is Russia," the minister emphasized. According to him, the Russian side has still not granted humanitarian missions access or allowed them to evacuate people.
In particular, on September 1, four vehicles were hit during one of the volunteer missions.
As reported, the ombudsman said in recent days that Russia is blocking the evacuation from Oleshky and that thousands of people may still be in the city.
The Russian side has not confirmed its readiness to carry out a humanitarian evacuation of civilians.
Oleshky city has been under occupation since 2022. The situation in the city deteriorated sharply after Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in June 2023. Oleshky was almost completely flooded, people were killed, and the occupation authorities allowed only residents with Russian passports to evacuate.
