‘Hell on earth’: last residents eat weeds to survive in Russian-occupied Oleshky

Live updates

1. 2h ago

   Starving Residents Eat Weeds in Blockaded Oleshky

   Remaining residents in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky are surviving on garden weeds and grass amid a complete blockade that has cut off food and water deliveries. The humanitarian crisis has left the city on the brink of starvation, with safe evacuations nearly impossible due to dangerous conditions. Ukrainian forces have responded by using drones to airdrop supplies, delivering four tonnes of food to the besieged population. Meanwhile, bodies of the dead are reportedly left in a hospital basement or outdoors because retrieval risks drone attacks.

   Why it matters

   Oleshky sits in southern Ukraine under Russian occupation, isolated from humanitarian aid corridors as intense conflict envelops the region. The blockade has paralyzed normal civilian life and trapped the last remaining inhabitants in extreme deprivation. The deployment of drone airdrops highlights both the desperation of the trapped citizens and the evolving tactics used to deliver relief in heavily contested zones.

   What is confirmed

   • Remaining residents in Russian-occupied Oleshky are eating garden weeds and grass to survive.
   • Oleshky is completely cut off from food and water deliveries, creating a severe humanitarian crisis.
   • The Ukrainian military and regional authorities delivered four tonnes of food to the occupied city using drones.

   Still unconfirmed

   • Bodies are left unburied or hidden in a hospital basement because the deadly risk from drones prevents recovery.

   What to watch next

   • Additional drone-delivered aid operations by Ukrainian forces
   • Efforts by trapped residents to execute safe evacuations from the city
   • Updates from regional authorities on civilian casualties and humanitarian access
   Sources used for this update (16)

   1. BBC — Oleshky: Eating garden weeds to survive in Russian-occupied city cut off from food and water
   2. ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos — ‘The blockade is complete’: Locals flee occupied south Ukraine as hunger deepens
   3. theguardian.com — ‘Hell on earth’: last residents eat weeds to survive in Russian-occupied Oleshky
   4. Українська правда — Oleshky under siege: a city where people eat grass, hide bodies in a hospital basement and wait for an evacua
   5. Meduza — A humanitarian crisis is gripping Russian-occupied Oleshky as food deliveries stop and safe evacuation becomes nearly impossible
   6. The Kyiv Independent — Ukrainian military delivers 4 tons of food to occupied Oleshky by drones, regional authorities said
   7. Українська правда — Kherson government shows operation delivering 4 tonnes of food to occupied Oleshky – video
   8. CBC — Ukraine uses drones to make airdrops of aid to occupied city of Oleshky on brink of starvation
   9. www.theguardian.com — ‘Hell on earth’: last residents eat weeds to survive in Russian-occupied Oleshky | Ukraine
   10. www.theguardian.com — Morning Mail: following One Nation’s money trail; UK investigates suspected bomb plot; and legal help for NSW sexual assault survivors
   11. Financial Times — Ukraine airlifts aid to Russian-occupied city
   12. en.wikipedia.org — Hell - Wikipedia
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