A humanitarian crisis is gripping Russian-occupied Oleshky as food deliveries stop and safe evacuation becomes nearly impossible

Oleshky (Alyoshki in Russian) is a city on the left bank of the Dnipro River, across from Kherson on the right bank. Only nine kilometers (about six miles) separate them in a straight line. People once crossed between them by bridge, but the bridge is now closed. The two cities are on opposite sides of the front: Ukraine controls Kherson, while Russia has controlled Oleshky since 2022. As in other cities near the front, life in Oleshky is difficult and dangerous. By September 2026, conditions ha...