Dozens of bodies on the streets and in houses. Russians turn Oleski into a "death trap"

"The Russians are trying to turn the Ukrainian city of Oleski into a death trap. About 1,700 people are still trapped in the destroyed city. The only exit road is mined and is under surveillance by strike drones. People trying to escape risk death. The nearby river is also mined. Residents doubt whether they will be able to survive the winter," wrote Sybiha on the X platform.

According to the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the hospital has run out of medicines, and dozens of bodies lie on the streets or in houses because the Russians forbid residents from burying them.

"Families are starving, subsisting on leftover vegetables from their home gardens, preserves and even snails. Residents claim that Russian soldiers threatened them with weapons to take away their food," said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to Sybiha, Ukraine has repeatedly appealed for safe evacuation and access for international humanitarian organizations.

"We call on the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and all partners to use all available channels to ensure safe evacuation corridors and immediate access of humanitarian aid to Oleski. Russia must stop obstructing efforts to save civilian lives," emphasized the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sybiha thanked all partners and people around the world who did not agree to silence and became the voice of the inhabitants of Ołeszki.

"I want to personally thank Pope Leo XIV for appealing to Putin for a ceasefire in Oleski to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid. People cannot survive on expressions of concern alone. They need action. They need an escape route. And they need it immediately," the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized.

The head of the city administration, Tetiana Hasanenko, told PAP that about a hundred bodies lie in the basement of the hospital in Ołeszki. Residents risk their lives by leaving the city in search of food. As Hasanenko says, people die there every day.

Ołeszki are located approximately 4 km from Kherson, on the left bank of the Dnieper, occupied by Russia. According to reports, the roads leading to the city are mined and Russian drones are constantly operating over the town. This makes it even more difficult for residents to leave these areas.

The town was occupied by Russian troops in the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In June 2023, it was flooded following the destruction of the dam in Novaya Kachovka by the Russians.