The situation is critical in Oleshky, a city in southern Ukraine. When the nearby Kakhovka dam was destroyed in 2023, Oleshky was first flooded and then bombed. Today, it is practically cut off from the outside world. But up to 2,000 people still live there, according to the Oleshky Military Administration, They are mostly pensioners and persons with limited mobility — but there are also almost 50 children reportedly.
Prior to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Oleshky had 24,000 residents and was situated in a popular vacation area. Of the 13 localities in the district, five have been completely destroyed according to officials. But people continue to live in the surrounding area.
How Oleshky became a trap
It has become almost impossible to leave Oleshky. The city itself and all access roads have been mined by the Russian army. Previously, the Antonivka Road Bridge over the Dnipro River connected Oleshky with the regional capital Kherson, which remains controlled by Ukraine. But the bridge no longer exists. It was blown up by the Russians in November 2022, after they retreated from the right bank of the river and deployed to the left bank.
"In Oleshky, people are dying because of landmines, direct strikes on their homes or shrapnel," Ksenia Archipova, a former resident of Oleshky, who is currently helping people to evacuate on a regular basis, told DW. "The hospital is powered by generators, but there's practically no fuel. Complex operations, such as amputations after mine explosions, are impossible," she said.
