Overview
- New video from Ukraine’s 34th Marine Brigade shows Oleschky largely empty and in ruins, with local officials putting the number of people still stuck at about 2,000.
- Russian units have placed artillery, mortars, and mines inside residential blocks, turning homes and streets into firing positions that make any movement dangerous.
- Volunteers report that after Russian troops pulled back to the outskirts, regular deliveries fell away, and residents endured winter without water, power, or steady food, with some arriving at hospitals hungry and dying.
- Aid workers say escape attempts have turned lethal, citing six vehicles in February that hit mines or were struck by drones on routes residents now call the road of death.
- Ukraine’s ombudsman urged a humanitarian corridor in late March, yet helpers and local authorities say conditions have not improved and formal relief still has not reached those trapped.