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Ukraine has requested an urgent discussion at the OSCE Permanent Council on October 1 over the humanitarian crisis in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
The 1 October meeting is listed as the 1,579th plenary meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, the organization’s main forum for regular political consultations among its 57 participating states.
The Ukrainian delegation is expected to brief participating states on the situation in Oleshky, where Ukrainian authorities say civilians, including children, are being deprived of essential supplies and prevented from leaving. Sybiha called on OSCE participating states and Switzerland, which currently chairs the organization, to put maximum pressure on Russia.
“Oleshky needs urgent humanitarian aid. Russia must be forced to provide it immediately,” Sybiha said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in September that around 2,000 people, including about 50 children, remained in Oleshky. According to the ministry, the city had been without electricity and gas, while deliveries of food, medicine and other essential supplies had been blocked for an extended period.
The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has also documented reports from residents of Oleshky describing prolonged shortages of electricity, water, food and medical care, as well as difficulties leaving the city. The findings were based on interviews with survivors and witnesses and other sources.
The humanitarian situation deteriorated following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 and subsequent flooding in parts of the Kherson region. Ukrainian authorities say mined areas, ongoing fighting and restrictions imposed by Russian forces have made evacuation difficult.
Ukraine has recently used heavy-lift drones to deliver food and medical supplies to residents of Oleshky. Ukrainian officials have also accused Russian forces of confiscating aid delivered to civilians and detaining some recipients. Such allegations have not been independently verified.
The issue is expected to be raised as Ukraine seeks international access for humanitarian organizations and an organized evacuation of civilians from the occupied city.
