Olechky, a Ukrainian town under Russian occupation, faces dire conditions as residents risk starvation and lack basic necessities, prompting international calls for aid and a potential truce.
Olechky under siege and isolation
Olechky, a town near Kherson on the eastern side of the Dnieper River, has been cut off from the outside world since Russian forces occupied it in 2022. The town is now completely isolated, with no access to food or medical supplies, and its residents are struggling to survive the harsh winter.Residents face dire conditions
Myroslava Kharchenko, a lawyer from the NGO Save Ukraine, warned the Washington Post that the remaining residents of Olechky will die of hunger and will not survive the winter. Since May 26, no food supplies have reached the town by road, which is now mined and monitored by drones from both sides.Survival is a daily struggle
Families in Olechky are surviving on canned goods, garden vegetables, and even snails. The town lacks gas, electricity, and potable water, and the hospital is running out of medicine. Survivors also report that Russian soldiers, who are themselves starving, are threatening them to steal their food. Even 4 tons of food supplies delivered by Ukrainian drones at the end of September were not enough to meet the needs of the population.International calls for aid
The dire situation in Olechky has drawn international attention. On October 16, Pope Leo XIV called Vladimir Putin during a phone conversation and requested a truce to deliver food and medicine and to evacuate civilians, according to the Washington Post.Hunger strike sparks solidarity
Four days later, Italian politician Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, announced she would begin a hunger strike to draw attention to the crisis. She told the Russian-language media Current Time that she could not accept the "general indifference" to people at risk of starving. Over 500 people have joined her, including a former Italian diplomat, journalists, and activists.Estimates of the population in danger
According to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, about 1,700 people are currently in Olechky, mostly elderly people, people with disabilities, and about fifty children. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the same figure, while Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament's human rights commissioner, estimates that around 2,000 residents remain in the city, with about 6,000 people, including 200 children, staying in Olechky and surrounding areas.Negotiations for a truce
Dmytro Lubinets told the Ukrainian news channel Espreso that Kyiv and Moscow are negotiating a local truce to evacuate civilians directly to Ukrainian territory, bypassing Russian and Belarusian control. However, verifying these estimates is difficult due to the lack of access to information under Russian occupation.Ukraine challenges Trump and China's involvement
In addition to the humanitarian crisis, Ukraine has been challenging former President Donald Trump by conducting heavy bombing campaigns in Russia. There are also reports of Chinese soldiers fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, according to recent statements. Trump claimed that Elon Musk has lifted restrictions on the Starshield satellite network in Ukraine, potentially aiding the country's defense efforts.
