Overview
- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, which issued a public appeal Wednesday, said a humanitarian catastrophe has taken hold in Oleshky, Hola Prystan, Stara Zburivka and Nova Zburivka.
- Officials report destroyed infrastructure with no electricity or gas and say basic supplies like water, food and medicine have run out, with some residents unable to bury loved ones due to constant fighting.
- The regional population has fallen from about 40,000 to roughly 6,000, including an estimated 2,000 residents left in Oleshky.
- Ukrainian authorities allege Russian forces block evacuations and aid deliveries and that drones have attacked shoppers and people trying to flee by car, with accounts backed by the Ombudsman, intelligence and some international groups.
- Kyiv says it has begun urgent talks with the UN and the Red Cross and will take the case to UN and OSCE platforms to press for evacuation corridors after logging more than 220 direct requests from residents.