MEPs raise plight of civilians trapped in Ukrainian town

MEPs have called for urgent support for civilians trapped in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, where conditions have been described as "absolute hell".

The plight of around 2,000 civilians in the town, which lies on the bank of the Dnipro River and separates Russian and Ukrainian forces, has drawn growing concern from international monitors in recent weeks.

Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of effectively blockading the town and its surroundings, leading to severe food shortages and "extremely limited" access to basic necessities like medication.

Speaking during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg today, several MEPs raised the plight of those trapped.

"Some, in sheer desperation, have reportedly resorted to eating grass or tree bark. It is absolute hell," said Hanna Gedin, a Swedish MEP on behalf of The Left.

"The last grocery store has closed and all overland food deliveries have ceased. Power shortages plagued residents since the beginning of the occupation, but now there is no gas or running water either," she added.

Speaking on behalf of the EPP group, Polish MEP Andrzej Halicki said he had been receiving text messages about the humanitarian situation in Oleshky for some time, saying: "They are dying; they are being condemned to death by starvation."

He called on the EU to be more forceful in demanding an "unconditional evacuation of the civilian residents of Oleshky".

Other measures were put forward by Dutch MEP, Thijs Reuten, who was speaking on behalf of the Socialists and Democrats political group, and said "drip feeding support has only raised the cost, human and financial".

"We can and must do more: a sky shield against cruise missiles and drones, more air defence against ballistic missiles and patriots… and fully fund the UN-Ukraine Winter Response Plan - $358m," he said.

He described the situation in Oleshky imposed by the Russians as "hunger as a weapon", and stated that "drones hunt anything that moves: ambulances, buses, aid convoys".

According to reports from town and its surroundings, shelling and drone strikes are a near-daily occurrence, while the bodies of those killed can lie in the streets for months, with the threat from drones making it too dangerous for anyone to retrieve them.

In September, the Kremlin acknowledged that Oleshky had critical problems with food and medicine supplies, but insisted that Russia's military was working to resolve them.

Ukraine's military has said it is now attempting to use drones to deliver food and medicine to the embattled citizens. In one recent operation, it said around four tons of food and medical supplies were delivered to 100 locations across the town simultaneously.

However, operations like that carry enormous risk.

Kherson Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin has accused Russia of shooting down drones delivering food and confiscating or reselling the supplies.

He also said Russian forces had been detaining and assaulting residents who receive the aid because they were "cooperating with Ukraine".

On Saturday, European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, whose portfolio includes humanitarian aid, described the situation as "appalling" and "unacceptable".

She said: "Civilians are trapped under siege by Russian forces without access to food, medicine, clean water and basic care.

"Russia, as occupying power, has clear obligations under international humanitarian law: civilians must be protected and humanitarian assistance must be facilitated."