Oleshky evacuation: Ukraine urges corridor for civilians

Ukraine has renewed calls for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from Russian-occupied Oleshky in southern Kherson region, accusing Russia of creating a humanitarian crisis there.

Oleshky lies on the bank of the Dnipro River on a section of the front that has barely moved since 2023. Restricted access has made conditions in the town difficult to verify independently.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said on September 20 that Russia was deliberately creating a humanitarian catastrophe. He said Ukraine's task was to mobilise international pressure to establish a corridor, deliver food and medicine, and evacuate civilians.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights commissioner, said people needed to be rescued and described the town as a “death trap.” He has pushed for a humanitarian evacuation mission for several months and says Russia has not acted on the proposals.

Russia has acknowledged problems with food and medicine supplies in the area but blamed Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 21 that Ukraine was obstructing deliveries and that drones were killing people.

Ukrainian officials estimate that about 2,000 people remain in Oleshky, compared with a pre-war population of 24,000. They said restricted access has made it hard to assess the exact number of residents and their situation.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the security situation was volatile and complex, and that it would be ready to provide support if requested by the parties and when appropriate security guarantees were in place.

Ukrainian volunteers who coordinate evacuations in the wider Kherson region said conditions in Oleshky had deteriorated in recent months and warned they could worsen as winter approaches.