Trapped in a Kill Zone, a Ukrainian City Is Beginning to Starve
New York Times
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New York Times
Original Source
The Ukrainian city of Oleshky, held by Russian forces, faces a deepening humanitarian crisis as roughly 2,000 remaining civilians struggle with severe food shortages and a complete blockade. Evacuation is nearly impossible, with mines and drones cutting off the besieged city from outside aid and prompting urgent calls for humanitarian intervention.
Trapped in a Kill Zone, a Ukrainian City Is Beginning to Starve - The New York Times
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Trapped in a Kill Zone, a Ukrainian City Is Beginning to Starve
Evacuation is almost impossible and food is running out in Russian-occupied Oleshky, a city menaced by mines and drones.
Listen · 9:47 min
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!A person stands on stone steps holding a white sign with multicolor text that reads, “MASS STARVATION IN OCCUPIED OLESHKY AMERICANS! MAKE RUSSIA AGREE TO HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR.” Behind, a large black banner on a stone building reads, “AZOVSTAL FREE MARIUPOL DEFENDERS.”
*A protester in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, last month calling for help for Oleshky, a city in southern Ukraine.Credit...Sergei Supinsky/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images*
By Siobhán O’GradyLiubov Sholudko and Yurii Shyvala
Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine
Oct. 5, 2026, 5:24 a.m. ET
See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google
Little news trickles out from the besieged city of Oleshky, a frontline wasteland severed by mines and drones from the rest of Russian-occupied Ukraine.
But one thing is clear from what has emerged: A humanitarian calamity is unfolding. There is no food, no safety and no escape.
“In the autumn, we will definitely die,” one resident wrote this summer. “I am already dying. I am getting weaker with each day.”
“We’re cooking our last borscht,” wrote another, “with one beet, five potatoes, one onion, a zucchini, a tomato and a little barley groats to make it thicker. There are no carrots.”
A third said: “There are no supplies of any kind. It’s a complete blockade. And endless drones and fires. Like in a horror movie.”
These messages, from some of the roughly 2,000 civilians, including about 40 children, who remain in Oleshky, were shared with The New York Times by Tetiana Hasanenko, the city’s exiled leader. They offer a glimpse into the deteriorating conditions as the Russian-held city is cut off from food and medical aid, prompting calls in Ukraine for an urgent evacuation before the population starves.
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Skip to contentSkip to site index
Europe
Today’s Paper
Russia-Ukraine War
* U.S.-Russia Talks
* Ukraine’s Ballistic Missile
* A Harsh Winter
* Remaking War at Sea
* ‘Fortress Cities’
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Supported by
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Trapped in a Kill Zone, a Ukrainian City Is Beginning to Starve
Evacuation is almost impossible and food is running out in Russian-occupied Oleshky, a city menaced by mines and drones.
Listen · 9:47 min
*
*
*
!A person stands on stone steps holding a white sign with multicolor text that reads, “MASS STARVATION IN OCCUPIED OLESHKY AMERICANS! MAKE RUSSIA AGREE TO HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR.” Behind, a large black banner on a stone building reads, “AZOVSTAL FREE MARIUPOL DEFENDERS.”
*A protester in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, last month calling for help for Oleshky, a city in southern Ukraine.Credit...Sergei Supinsky/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images*
By Siobhán O’GradyLiubov Sholudko and Yurii Shyvala
Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine
Oct. 5, 2026, 5:24 a.m. ET
See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google
Little news trickles out from the besieged city of Oleshky, a frontline wasteland severed by mines and drones from the rest of Russian-occupied Ukraine.
But one thing is clear from what has emerged: A humanitarian calamity is unfolding. There is no food, no safety and no escape.
“In the autumn, we will definitely die,” one resident wrote this summer. “I am already dying. I am getting weaker with each day.”
“We’re cooking our last borscht,” wrote another, “with one beet, five potatoes, one onion, a zucchini, a tomato and a little barley groats to make it thicker. There are no carrots.”
A third said: “There are no supplies of any kind. It’s a complete blockade. And endless drones and fires. Like in a horror movie.”
These messages, from some of the roughly 2,000 civilians, including about 40 children, who remain in Oleshky, were shared with The New York Times by Tetiana Hasanenko, the city’s exiled leader. They offer a glimpse into the deteriorating conditions as the Russian-held city is cut off from food and medical aid, prompting calls in Ukraine for an urgent evacuation before the population starves.
---
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Tags:#أوكرانيا#الحرب الروسية الأوكرانية#أوليشكا#الحصار#الأزمة الإنسانية#المساعدات الغذائية
Source: New York Times
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