Ukraine Calls Urgent OSCE Meeting Over Oleshky Crisis

Ukraine has initiated an urgent meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson region.The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced on Wednesday, Sept. 30.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Ukraine’s delegation will brief participating states on conditions inside the occupied city and the actions of the Russian occupation authorities, which Kyiv says have blocked humanitarian supplies and prevented civilians from leaving.“The Russian occupation authorities are effectively holding civilians, including children, hostage,” Sybiha said. “This is nothing other than a man-made humanitarian catastrophe.”He urged Switzerland, which holds the OSCE chairmanship, and other participating states to condemn Russia’s actions and exert “the strongest possible pressure” on Moscow.“Oleshky urgently needs humanitarian aid. Russia must be forced to allow it immediately,” Sybiha said.Thousands trapped without regular suppliesOleshky has been cut off from regular deliveries of food and medicine since late May, while mined roads, Russian drone activity and frontline fighting have made evacuation routes extremely dangerous.A detailed Kyiv Post investigation found that residents were surviving on produce from their gardens, preserves and barter as food stocks disappeared. Residents and Ukrainian officials also reported deaths from illness, hypothermia and possible starvation, although the total number could not be independently established. Other Topics of Interest ‘Precious Kilometers’: Zelensky Visits Lyman Front After Recent Gains Zelensky met commanders in the Lyman sector to discuss drones, artillery, procurement, and troop compensation as Ukraine expands its gains in the area. Estimates for Oleshky itself range from approximately 2,000 to 4,000 remaining residents. A higher figure of more than 6,000 people, including around 200 children, cited by Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, covers the city and nearby occupied settlements on the left bank of the Dnipro.Ukraine’s military delivered approximately 4 metric tons of food by drone to around 100 locations across Oleshky on Saturday night, according to Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.Kyiv Post previously reported that Ukrainian forces have used drones to drop food because ground convoys cannot safely enter the city. The deliveries provide temporary assistance but cannot replace regular humanitarian access.Kyiv warns of Russian propaganda campaignSybiha earlier said Russia was preparing dozens of staged videos featuring residents of occupied Oleshky.According to the foreign minister, residents would be pressured to claim on camera that they had sufficient food, were satisfied with conditions in the city and were grateful to the Russian occupation authorities.Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation said Moscow was attempting to shift responsibility for the humanitarian crisis onto Kyiv.Oleshky, located across the Dnipro from Ukrainian-controlled Kherson, has been under Russian occupation since the opening days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.