Ukraine Calls Urgent OSCE Meeting Over Oleshky Crisis

Ukraine has convened an emergency meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Oleshky, a city in the Russian-occupied Kherson region. The meeting is set to take place on Thursday, October 1st, announced by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on September 30th.

The OSCE delegation will provide a report to participating nations on the current state of affairs within Oleshky and the actions of the occupying Russian forces, who according to Kyiv, have obstructed humanitarian aid and barred civilians from fleeing. Sybiha emphasized that "the Russian occupation authorities are effectively holding civilians, including children, hostage" and described the situation as a "man-made humanitarian catastrophe."

He called upon Switzerland, which currently chairs the OSCE, and other member states to condemn Russia's actions and apply "the utmost pressure" on Moscow. "Oleshky urgently requires humanitarian assistance. Russia must be compelled to permit it immediately," Sybiha stated. Ground transportation has been restricted since late May due to mined roads, Russian drone activity, and frontline combat, rendering evacuation routes perilous.

A Kyiv Post investigation revealed that residents are subsisting on homegrown produce, preserved food, and barter systems as food reserves dwindle. Deaths from illness, hypothermia, and possible starvation have been reported, although an accurate count remains unverified. The city's population ranges between 2,000 and 4,000 remaining residents, while Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported a total of over 6,000 people, including about 200 children, within Oleshky and adjacent occupied settlements on the Dnipro's left bank.

Ukrainian forces recently transported around 4 metric tons of food to Oleshky via drone, reaching approximately 100 locations in the city, as ground convoys are deemed unsafe. Despite these efforts, regular humanitarian access remains unattainable. Sybiha claimed that Russia is preparing numerous fabricated videos featuring Oleshky residents, pressuring them to declare on camera that they possess sufficient food, are content with the conditions, and are grateful to the Russian occupiers.

Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation alleged that Moscow is attempting to pin the blame for the humanitarian crisis on Kyiv. Situated across the Dnipro from the Ukrainian-controlled Kherson, Oleshky has been under Russian control since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.