Oleshky Humanitarian Crisis
Ukraine Plans UN Appeal Over Humanitarian Crisis in Occupied Oleshky
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The Council of Europe’s New York office is intended to link legal work in Strasbourg with the U.N. system, combining the council’s practical legal expertise with broader support from U.N. member states. Representatives from Andorra, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Portugal, along with U.N. officials, attended its opening.
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Sybiha said accountability efforts should focus on upholding the U.N. Charter, the rule of law and the principle that violations must have consequences, arguing that the new office should produce concrete results because confidence in international law depends on how violations are addressed.
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Beyond providing territory and military infrastructure, Belarus allegedly supplies components and materials for Russia’s war machine, has deepened military integration with Moscow, and is using its oil refineries to help supply Russia with fuel. Sybiha said pressure should include Belarusian resources and have no exceptions for Russian oligarchs or Belarusian assets.
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Oleshky has reportedly lost most of its prewar population: about 24,000 people lived there before the full-scale invasion, while roughly 2,000—including around 50 children—remain. The town has no electricity or gas, and accounts describe residents searching for scraps of food and gathering grass while Russian FPV drones attack people moving outdoors.
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Ukraine has raised the Kherson humanitarian situation at both the U.N. Security Council and the OSCE Permanent Council. Sybiha also said he discussed the issue with U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher and planned to coordinate efforts with International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric during the U.N. General Assembly’s high-level week.
Ukraine is taking Russia's blockade of the Kherson region town of Oleshky to the United Nations, demanding international pressure for safe evacuation corridors and humanitarian aid. Kyiv Independent Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told world leaders that Russia is deliberately creating a catastrophe, stating: "Russia occupied these territories. Russia is blocking aid. Russia is obstructing evacuation. And Russia must bear responsibility." Only about 2,000 people remain in Oleshky from a prewar population of 24,000, with no electricity, gas, or access to food and medicine.
Sybiha also called for increased pressure on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, accusing Belarus of providing territory, military infrastructure, oil refineries, and resources to fuel Russia's war effort. United24media He said Lukashenko and senior officials should face the same accountability as Russian leaders. Ukraine is simultaneously pushing a new legal initiative through the Council of Europe's office in New York, designed to link international courts and the UN system to enforce consequences for Russian aggression.
Life Inside a Vanishing Town
Oleshky has become a ghost town under Russian occupation. About 24,000 people lived there before Russia's 2022 invasion. Today, roughly 2,000 remain—including around 50 children—trapped without electricity, gas, heat, or regular food. Kyiv Independent Residents gather grass to eat and search for scraps while Russian FPV drones attack anyone moving outdoors. Winter is coming, and conditions are worsening each week.
Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov admitted that supplies in Oleshky are "critical," but the Kremlin frames this as a military logistics challenge rather than deliberate policy. Ukrainian officials reject this claim entirely, describing the blockade as an organized siege meant to force civilian suffering and capitulation. Food, medicine, and humanitarian missions have been blocked for over a month, according to Kyiv Independent reports.
A New Legal Strategy Through the United Nations
On September 21, Sybiha and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset opened a new Council of Europe office in New York. The office is designed to connect legal work in Strasbourg with the UN system, combining European legal expertise with support from UN member states. Kyiv Independent Officials from Andorra, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Portugal attended the opening.
Sybiha said the office should produce concrete results in holding Russian leaders accountable. He argued that international law only matters if violations have real consequences. "Confidence in international law depends on how violations are addressed," he stated. The initiative aims to enforce the UN Charter and the principle that aggression must carry a price.
Pressure Campaign Against Belarus Expands
Beyond territory, Belarus supplies components and materials for Russia's war machine, according to Ukrainian officials. United24media Belarusian oil refineries provide fuel to Russia. Military integration between Moscow and Minsk has deepened significantly. Sybiha called for sanctions pressure targeting Belarusian resources, with no exceptions for Russian oligarchs or Belarusian assets.
Ukraine is distinguishing between Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and the Belarusian people themselves. Sybiha framed the pressure campaign as targeting only the regime and its officials, not the nation. He wants Lukashenko and senior officials to face accountability alongside Russian leaders for enabling Russia's aggression.
International Coordination at the UN General Assembly
Ukraine is mobilizing international partners to act on Oleshky before winter deepens the crisis. Kyiv Independent Sybiha discussed the humanitarian situation with UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher and planned coordination with International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric during the UN General Assembly's high-level week in late September. Ukraine has also raised the issue at both the UN Security Council and the OSCE Permanent Council.
On September 23, addressing the UN Security Council, Sybiha made a direct plea: "If you remember only one thing from this meeting—remember Oleshky. Hear their cry for help." He is pushing world powers to demand safe evacuation corridors and restore humanitarian access to the blockaded communities on the left bank of the Dnipro River.
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