{
  "id": 9445124,
  "title": "Residents eating garden weeds in Russian-occupied city cut off from food and water",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/residents-eating-garden-weeds-in-russian-occupied-city-cut-off-from",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T23:58:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC World",
    "slug": "bbc-world",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c60qxywdx4vvo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "The BBC has spoken to residents in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky who say they are being \"constantly shelled\".",
  "key_points": [
    "Residents of Oleshky resort to eating garden weeds due to food shortage.",
    "City's population dropped from 24,000 to 6,000 after Russian invasion.",
    "Oleshky under full Russian blockade since 2022 with no access to essentials."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The dire situation in Oleshky, where residents are eating garden weeds, highlights the humanitarian crisis caused by the city's blockade, with civilians bearing the brunt of Russia's military actions.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Residents eating garden weeds in Russian-occupied city cut off from food and water",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/residents-eating-garden-weeds-in-russian-occupied-city-cut-off-from-9446834",
        "published": "2026-09-23T23:58:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}