Residents eating garden weeds in Russian-occupied city cut off from food and water
The BBC has spoken to residents in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky who say they are being "constantly shelled".
Residents of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky are resorting to consuming garden weeds due to the city's complete lack of food supply. Halia, a local resident, recounted that she and a husband she knew personally were killed while attempting to bring home a bag of food from a nearby town. The city, which had 24,000 residents before Russia's full-scale invasion, now only has around 6,000 people remaining, with 200 children among them.
Many face malnutrition, lack of medical services, and no access to education. The sole operational hospital in the area performs only critical amputations a few days a week. Oleshky is located between the Dnipro River and Russian forces, making it difficult for Ukrainian civilians to escape. The city has been under a full blockade by Russian forces since 2022, with no access to food, water, electricity, gas, or basic supplies.
Children in Oleshky are suffering from malnutrition, and the hospital is barely functional, performing amputations occasionally. The Ukrainian government has called on the international community to pressure Russia to allow humanitarian aid into the city, but so far, those efforts have not been successful.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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