Besieged and Starving: Life Inside Russian-Occupied Oleshky

In the southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky, a community of roughly 2,000 residents is enduring a fourth year of Russian occupation marked by acute food shortages, the constant threat of drones, and a landscape littered with landmines. The town, located in the Kherson region, has been cut off from basic services for two and a half years, leaving its remaining population without electricity, running water, natural gas, or access to healthcare.

The human cost of this isolation is starkly illustrated by the story of Vera Gulyaeva, a 64-year-old retired schoolteacher. On what would have been her 41st wedding anniversary, she recounted the death of her husband, Serhiy Gulyaev, a 63-year-old retired driver. In March, a Russian drone struck a bread line in the town, inflicting deep cranial wounds on Gulyaev. A first attempt to transport him to a hospital 80 kilometers away in Skadovsk failed when the ambulance struck a landmine. A second attempt succeeded in reaching the facility, but Gulyaev died there days later. Gulyaeva recovered his remains, had them cremated, and returned home with his ashes. She has since relocated to western Ukraine, where she lives with her daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, while her son serves in the Ukrainian military.

Gulyaeva’s account underscores the severe humanitarian crisis unfolding in Oleshky. She described a situation where residents have consumed all their stored provisions and are now starving. The pre-war population has collapsed to a fraction of its former size, and those who remain are forced to scavenge for survival. Some residents subsist on what they can grow, what they had previously stashed away, or what they find in abandoned apartments and houses. Others attempt the perilous 20-kilometer journey to the neighboring village of Radensk, the nearest location with a functioning grocery shop. However, this trip is fraught with danger, and some who set out never return.

A former resident who fled the town but maintains contact with those still there provided a harrowing account of the risks. According to this source, people are being killed by Russian drones or landmines, and the bodies of those left in the open are being eaten by feral dogs. On a single Thursday, four casualties were reported as a group attempted to reach Radensk: two people were killed and two others were injured, with the wounded having to be transported back on a wheelbarrow and a bicycle. These incidents highlight the deadly choice facing civilians daily.

Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, summarized the grim reality in a Telegram post on Saturday, stating that Russia leaves civilian residents with an impossible decision: “stay and starve to death, leave and risk getting blown on a landmine.” This assessment was echoed by European officials, who pointed to the situation in Oleshky as compelling evidence that Kyiv must not capitulate to Moscow’s demands for territorial concessions. European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas addressed the issue on September 28, arguing that the abstract question of giving up territory has devastating real-world consequences.

“When someone says: ‘Why don’t they just give up these territories?’ it sounds so simple. Right? But in reality, this is about the people who will suffer on those territories,” Kallas said. Her comments reflect a broader concern among Western allies that any peace deal involving the cession of land would leave millions of Ukrainians in occupied areas vulnerable to ongoing deprivation and violence. The plight of Oleshky serves as a microcosm of these fears, demonstrating the severe humanitarian toll of the conflict on those living under Russian control.

The isolation of Oleshky began with its occupation over four years ago, but conditions have deteriorated sharply. The Gulyaevs, who met at a friend’s wedding in 1985, had built a small house and were reluctant to leave even after their children fled to Ukrainian-controlled territory. They managed a modest existence with an orchid, a vegetable patch, five hens, a water well, and a power generator that ran on overpriced gas purchased from middlemen. Gulyaeva rarely left the house, while her husband occasionally ventured out to buy bread. Their story of self-sufficiency and attachment to their home is shared by many of the town’s remaining residents, who find themselves trapped between a desire to stay and the impossibility of survival.

In an unusual development, drones have been observed flying over Oleshky carrying food packages. Footage released on September 27 by Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, shows these unmanned aerial vehicles dropping supplies. The location was partially verified by matching a church spire, lantern, and building exteriors with archival and satellite imagery. While the date of the footage could not be fully confirmed, the imagery and reports suggest that some form of aerial resupply is being attempted, likely by Ukrainian forces or humanitarian organizations. This method of delivery, however, is insufficient to meet the needs of the town’s population and carries its own operational risks.

Moscow has acknowledged the humanitarian disaster in Oleshky but shifted blame to Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed on September 20 that problems with delivering food and medical drugs stem from the Ukrainian government’s efforts to thwart such deliveries. “The Kyiv regime literally does everything to thwart these deliveries,” Peskov said, adding that “drones always hover” in the area. Russia has consistently denied targeting civilians throughout the war, despite widespread evidence of attacks on residential areas and infrastructure. The conflicting narratives highlight the broader information war surrounding the conflict, with each side accusing the other of exacerbating the suffering of civilians.

The situation in Oleshky is emblematic of the wider humanitarian catastrophe in occupied territories, where residents are often cut off from basic necessities and subjected to arbitrary violence. The absence of electricity, water, and medical care for two and a half years has created a public health emergency. The threat of landmines contaminating roads and fields further restricts movement, making even the most routine tasks life-threatening. For those who remain, the daily struggle for food and safety is compounded by the psychological trauma of living in a war zone with no clear end in sight.

International observers and human rights groups have documented numerous violations in occupied areas, including forced disappearances, torture, and the denial of humanitarian access. The case of Oleshky adds to a growing body of evidence that Russia’s occupation is characterized by systemic neglect and cruelty. The inability of residents to leave safely, coupled with the destruction of infrastructure, amounts to a man-made disaster. As winter approaches, concerns are mounting that the lack of heating and electricity will lead to further deaths, particularly among the elderly and infirm.

Vera Gulyaeva’s personal loss is a poignant reminder of the individual tragedies behind the statistics. After four decades of teaching at the elementary school she once attended as a child, she struggles to comprehend the violence that has consumed her community. “How people can kill other people,” she said, reflecting on the senselessness of the war. Her husband’s death, the destruction of their home, and her forced displacement are part of a larger pattern of suffering that affects thousands of families across Ukraine. The psychological scars of such experiences will endure long after the fighting ends.

The future of Oleshky remains uncertain. For now, its residents are caught in a limbo between survival and death, with little hope of relief. The international community continues to call for accountability and unimpeded humanitarian access, but the situation on the ground remains dire. As the war drags on, the town stands as a testament to the resilience of its people and the devastating cost of Russia’s occupation. The choice between starvation and landmines is no choice at all, and for the remaining residents of Oleshky, each day is a struggle against impossible odds.