San Francisco Frontiers - Food, medicine shortages deepen in Russian-occupied Oleshky

With communications scarce and those still in the city fearful of reprisals from Russian occupying authorities, AFP spoke to former residents of Oleshky who are in touch with people trapped there.

"They've forgotten what bread is. You need flour for bread, and there's not even flour left," said Olga, who was in touch with two families still in Oleshky.

AFP is withholding her surname for security reasons.

"People survive with what little they have in their garden," she added.

In the early days, she said people ate pigeons, but even those were now difficult to find.

Elizaveta, who administers a social media group for locals, said people were "literally dreaming of a candy or a piece of meat".

The city, on the southern bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, was seized by Russian troops in 2022.

The population has dropped from about 24,000 before Russia invaded to around 2,000 today.

It was heavily damaged by the 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which unleashed major flooding along the Dnipro River.

- 'Constant battlespace' -

While the front line has barely moved in the area since 2023, advances in drone technology have created a so-called "kill zone", stretching up to 20 kilometres deep.

Inside the area, drones lurk in the skies ready to crash down onto targets below.

Oleshky lies "within the range of drones operated by both sides," Ukrainian drone expert Olena Kryzhanivska wrote in a recent newsletter.

"The skies over the city have become a constant battlespace, with drones hunting other drones and targeting virtually anything moving on the ground," she added.

It means anybody looking to escape the city by heading deeper into Russian-occupied Ukraine -- the only possible route -- faces a treacherous journey.

The situation is not unique to Oleshky.

AFP journalists have seen drones increasingly complicating aid deliveries and evacuations along the entire front line.

"Many challenges exist to provide humanitarian assistance in Oleshky and other communities along the front line of the international armed conflict," the International Committee of the Red Cross told AFP in a statement.

Ahead of winter, Ukrainian authorities have raised the plight of Oleshky, drawing international attention with statements about the humanitarian crisis unfolding there.

"The message from the international community to Russia was clear: it must provide full, safe and unhindered access for international organisations to Oleshky and ensure that civilians immediately receive food, medicine and a safe way out," Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Friday denounced a "desperate" situation in the city, calling on Russia to enable civilians to evacuate.

Vatican envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi also brought the issue up in a visit in Moscow earlier this week.

Facing accusations of engineering the dire situation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed Ukrainian attacks, which she said were cutting off Russia's own aid from reaching the city.

- 'Lottery ticket' -

Ukrainian authorities said they had despatched drones to drop food parcels.

While some people had received some parcels, they were not enough to feed everyone, former resident Elizaveta said.

"Many people didn't know about the parcels or didn't see them, because those who did receive them had to hide everything for their own safety," she explained.

"People aren't losing hope, and organising 'expeditions' around the city, hoping to find 100 'locations' with food" said Sergiy, another former resident.

The local hospital also faces medicine shortages, Elizaveta said.

With roads mined and drones hovering in the sky, the search for basic supplies can be deadly.

So are attempts to leave the city.

Sergiy said he escaped in mid-September by walking to the nearby village of Radensk, over 21 kilometres away and also under Russian occupation.

Elizaveta said the route was possible -- but perilous due to the mines and drones.

Olga had also heard about that way out.

"But it's a lottery ticket, you know? You're lucky or you're not," she said.

W.Thompson--SFF