UCCRO expresses concern over fate of occupied town

Oleshky. Photo: kherson.rayon.in.ua

The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) issued an appeal regarding the humanitarian catastrophe in the town of Oleshky, Kherson region, which is under the control of Russian forces.

The Council of Churches stated that the settlement is in a humanitarian blockade and is on the verge of catastrophe. According to them, the last food deliveries to the area were recorded at the end of May 2026, as a result of which residents are starving, while Russian military forces are preventing them from leaving the city.

More than 6,000 people remain in the town and surrounding area, including around 200 children, located in a "grey zone" near the front line. Civilians are daily exposed to the threat of shelling and drone attacks, left without food, drinking water, medicine, and without electricity or gas supply due to the destruction of critical infrastructure. The Council also recalled that in 2023 the town was flooded as a result of the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam.

In this regard, the UCCRO appealed to Pope Leo XIV, the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance, religious leaders and human rights organizations, calling on them to mobilize all resources to save residents from starvation. In addition, the Council members called on UN member states and the International Committee of the Red Cross to organize a humanitarian mission to evacuate the residents of Oleshky to Ukraine-controlled territory.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the UCCRO called on the West to strengthen military support for Ukraine.

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