Amnesty International continues to receive credible reports about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson region. As the occupying power, Russia is responsible under international humanitarian law for ensuring that the essential supplies and medical care reach the civilian population and for providing, enabling and facilitating humanitarian relief.
In recent months, several credible monitoring organisations have reported that civilians in the occupied parts of Kherson region, including Oleshky, have been facing shortages of food and medical assistance, while drone attacks and mines have made travel, essential supplies and evacuation increasingly dangerous.
According to Ukrainian authorities, who regard the situation as critical, reported that Ukrainian forces attempted to deliver critical supplies to Oleshky’s remaining residents by drones. According to them Russian forces shoot these down and confiscate or resell the food they deliver, and detain Oleshky residents for receiving air-delivered aid, subjecting them to violence. The Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman reported that Russia has ignored Ukraine’s attempts to arrange safe evacuation of civilians.
Meanwhile Russian authorities have publicly attributed the humanitarian crisis to Ukrainian military action, and alleged a Ukrainian blockade of the city by drones and attacks on transport. However, in contradiction to the blockade claims, the occupying authorities reported that their representatives were able to visit homes of local residents with ballot boxes and that most local residents cast their votes for the Russian State Duma, during the 18-20 September election (which was illegal in the occupied territories).
Amnesty International is unable to verify independently these claims, as the organization is denied all access to Russian-occupied territories, while the Russian authorities have criminalized its presence and any communications with it, via its “undesirable organizations” legislation. However, Amnesty International is able to confirm, from its sources, the dire humanitarian situation in Oleshky and the locals’ inability to leave the city safely. Thus, having just spoken to the relative of an older person who has remained in Oleshky throughout the occupation, food supplies in the town are scarce, while access to medical care is severely limited. This person, a 70-year-old woman, previously sustained a shrapnel wound to her thigh but was unable to receive the treatment she required in Oleshky. After her home was destroyed, she and other civilians decided to try to leave the town on foot. The route out is some 20 kilometres-long, laid with mines and affected by drone attacks making travel by vehicle extremely dangerous. Her last message to the family was sent on 27 September, after which all contact with her has been lost.
People just need to be given the possibility to leave safely. That is all. Many people want to leave, but they cannot because the road is dangerous. People are weakened by hunger and prolonged stress, and not everyone can walk 20 kilometres, especially under attack and along a mined road,
a member of this person’s family told Amnesty International
Responding to the humanitarian and security situation in Russian-occupied Oleshky and other settlements in the left-bank part of Kherson region, Veronika Sentsov-Velch, Director of Amnesty International Ukraine, said:
“Civilians remaining in occupied Oleshky, other settlements on the left-bank part of Kherson region and other territories occupied by Russia must be protected, and safely evacuated if necessary, not left starving and denied access to medical care and basic living conditions. International humanitarian law places a particular responsibility on the occupying authorities to ensure their safety and provide for the basic needs of people under their control.”
The scale and persistence of reports about the humanitarian situation in Oleshky and other settlements in the left-bank part of Kherson region cannot be ignored by the governments. Behind the harrowing reports from Oleshky are people who continue to live amid an armed conflict and occupation and who have the right to protection under international humanitarian law.
Veronika Sentsov-Velch, Director of Amnesty International Ukraine
Amnesty International is therefore calling on Russian authorities to ensure that civilians in the occupied territories have access to adequate food, medical care and other essential supplies, and on both Russia and Ukraine to agree on arrangements that would allow the safe evacuation of civilians from Oleshky and other settlements in the left-bank part of Kherson region.