"I eat only once a day - in the evening. Just bread, a tomato and a cup of tea." The famine in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshki is getting worse every day. Since May, residents have been living off their own supplies.
Ksenia Arkhipova always keeps her phone at hand - day and night. She feels responsible for the people of her hometown. A real humanitarian catastrophe is currently unfolding in the southern Ukrainian town of Oleshki. "I can't help but answer people. They call when they happen to have a connection. Ten minutes later, it may already be disconnected. When the phone rings, I put everything aside and listen to their pleas," Arkhipova told German public broadcaster ARD.
Desperate pleas for help
Oleshki is located on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, which is occupied by Russia. Here, the river forms the front line.
Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ksenia Arkhipova has been in the unoccupied part of Ukraine. From there, she has been trying to organize help for Oleshki for years, from where she is periodically reached by requests from desperate residents of the town. "Ksenia, can you cross my father off the evacuation list - he died during the night." Or: "Ksenia, our house was hit. How can we get out?" And more: "Ksenia, do you know of a safe address in Oleshki? We want to move because the Russians have settled in the house next door".
Cut off from the outside world
The town on the front is not just occupied, but also largely cut off from the outside world. The entire area around Oleshki is mined, which contributes to the widespread hunger, as the town cannot be supplied. "I eat only once a day - in the evening. Just bread, a tomato and a cup of tea", says a young woman from Oleshki.
A truck with food products last reached Oleshki on May 26, Ksenia Arkhipova told ARD. "In the summer, people grew potatoes, beets, zucchini in their gardens. Everyone ate zucchini all the time. But it's autumn now, and now the real famine is starting there," the woman says.
"They're being used as human shields"
According to various estimates, between 1,200 and 2,000 people remain in Oleshki. Russia blames Ukraine for the plight of these people: according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Ukrainian shelling has prevented Russia from supplying the city.
This claim is disputed not only by Ukraine, but also by independent journalists like Zarina Zabriskie, who has been investigating the situation in Oleshki for months. According to her, Russia is deliberately keeping people trapped in the town, which is surrounded by minefields.
"The Ukrainian civilian population has been used as human shields," says Zabriskie. "I have a lot of evidence to prove this: the Russians are setting up their positions - artillery installations and drone operator posts - in the homes of civilians. Sometimes they literally hide behind these people", ARD quoted her as saying.
Funerals are prohibited
What is particularly worrying for observers is that for months now, people in Oleshki have not been able to bury their dead. The Russian army prohibits it, Arkhipova said. Russian soldiers, who also condemn this practice, confirmed it to her on a social media channel.
Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets pointed out that months ago, representatives of Russia and Ukraine negotiated a corridor for the evacuation of people from Oleshki. The International Committee of the Red Cross is ready to accompany the evacuations. However, the Russian side has not yet given its consent to the opening of such a corridor, ARD points out.