Russian troops raid homes, threaten starving Oleshky residents over food and alcohol, officials say

Ukrainian officials have highlighted new testimony from residents who managed to escape the occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. According to their accounts, Russian troops regularly enter private homes and apartments, threatening local residents in order to obtain food and alcohol.

The testimonies also describe a broader humanitarian crisis in the city, marked by shortages of food, drinking water and medicine that make daily life under occupation extremely difficult. Residents who left the city describe abuse and mistreatment at the hands of occupying soldiers.

Conditions in the occupied territory

Oleshky lies in Kherson Oblast, part of which has been under Russian control since 2022. The city has repeatedly been cited in recent years in connection with the severe conditions faced by civilians who remain there.

Ukrainian officials are using these accounts to draw international attention to the situation faced by residents in Russian-controlled areas. Independent verification of conditions in occupied territories remains difficult, so such reports rely largely on the accounts of people who have managed to leave.

The situation in Oleshky illustrates broader problems facing civilians in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, including restricted access to basic resources and ongoing threats from occupying forces.