Ukraine's human rights commissioner: As Russia stalls on evacuation from occupied Oleshky, people are walking through mined fields to try to escape

What Happened

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said Russia has for a long time failed to confirm its readiness to carry out an agreed humanitarian evacuation mission from Oleshky, a settlement on the left bank of the Dnipro River near Kherson in the grey zone. Lubinets said previous agreements had been reached with the Russian side, clear procedures established, and a list of people to evacuate agreed. He said Ukraine had worked with its security and defence forces to ensure a ceasefire during the mission, but Russia had not confirmed it would proceed.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The failure to confirm the evacuation leaves thousands of civilians trapped in a contested grey zone near the Dnipro River, where Lubinets says they face daily attacks, drone strikes, and lack food, drinking water, and medicines. The situation highlights the humanitarian consequences of stalled corridors in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast, the danger of mined terrain, and the difficulty of protecting civilians even when Ukrainian forces say they are prepared to observe a ceasefire.

Watch For

Monitor whether Russia confirms or denies the evacuation mission, any response from the ICRC or Ukrainian state bodies, updates on the verified list of 358 people and the estimated 6,000 remaining residents, and reports of civilians injured or killed by mines or drones while attempting to leave Oleshky on their own.