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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
According to the minister, it is important not to allow Russia to hide the cause of this catastrophe behind the word "crisis".
The humanitarian catastrophe in Olenivka (Oleshky) on the Kherson region, occupied by Russia, will be one of the topics of diplomatic efforts within the United Nations General Assembly. Ukrainian diplomats have also received clear instructions on this matter, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga said.
According to him, Russia is deliberately creating a humanitarian catastrophe in the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region. In particular, the occupiers block the delivery of food and medicines, hinder the work of humanitarian missions and the evacuation of civilians.
“The situation in Olenivka is especially critical. Before the full-scale invasion, the town had a population of about 24 thousand people. Today about 2 thousand remain, including about 50 children. There is no electricity or gas supply. In the last month, the delivery of food, medicines, and other essential items has been completely blocked,” said Sibiga.
The minister added that from the occupied Olenivka come horrific testimonies about how people search for scraps of food, gather grass, because there is simply no other food, trying to survive under the blockade created by Russia.
“Another dimension of Russian terror is hunting for civilians. Russian FPV drones chase and attack people, turning even an attempt to leave home or move around the city into a deadly risk,” Sibiga notes.
Also, according to him, the situation remains critically tense in Holoi Prost, Stara Zburivka and Nova Zburivka. Russia effectively holds a portion of occupied Kherson region under a humanitarian blockade.
“What is happening in Olenivka and other occupied communities of Kherson region cannot be presented as a humanitarian crisis that arose by itself. Russia occupied these territories. Russia blocks aid. Russia obstructs evacuation. And Russia must be held accountable for the consequences of its actions,” Andriy Sibiga stated.
According to him, it is important not to allow Russia to hide the cause of this catastrophe behind the word "crisis".
The minister also said that he plans to discuss in detail with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric, how to secure humanitarian access and safe evacuation of our people.
“Ukrainian diplomats have received clear instructions. Our task is to mobilize the international pressure necessary to create a humanitarian corridor, deliver food and medicines, and evacuate civilians. Russia must bear responsibility for deliberately creating a humanitarian catastrophe in the occupied Kherson region,” he summarized.
As a reminder, Olenivka and the surrounding villages were at the epicenter of an environmental disaster when 6 June 2023 year the Russians blew up the Kakhovka Reservoir dam, and the water flooded many villages and towns downstream. The left bank of the Dnipro, which is under Russian occupation, was hit hardest. Russian forces deliberately obstructed local residents’ attempts to escape the disaster. The number of casualties among Kherson residents as a result of this crime has not yet been established. Since then, infrastructure in the region remains ruined, and people are in isolation without access to medicine and food.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Сибіга: Україна винесе гуманітарну катастрофу в Олешках на Генасамблею ООН". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ZN.ua.
