The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), which brings together diverse religious communities, including Orthodox Christians, Roman and Greek Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, and Jews, issues this appeal concerning the humanitarian catastrophe in the city of Oleshky, Kherson Region.

The city of Oleshky, located in the territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russian forces, is under a humanitarian blockade and is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. The last food supplies were delivered to the area at the end of May 2026. As a result, residents are starving, while Russian forces are preventing them from leaving the city.

According to various estimates, more than 6,000 people, including approximately 200 children, may remain in Oleshky and the surrounding area, effectively trapped in a “grey zone” near the front line. These are civilians who face the daily threat of shelling and drone attacks and are deprived of food, drinking water, medicines, and other essential assistance. The city’s critical infrastructure has been virtually destroyed, and electricity and gas supplies are unavailable. We also recall that in 2023 the city was flooded when Russian forces blew up the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.

The Ukrainian side has been continuously informing various international organizations about the critical situation in Oleshky and calling for appropriate assistance to be provided to the people in order to prevent mass loss of life. The Ukrainian authorities and international organizations are seeking to reach an agreement on the evacuation of the city’s residents; however, the Russian side is exploiting the humanitarian catastrophe for propaganda purposes, spreading blatant manipulation and falsehoods. Russia has repeatedly disregarded international humanitarian law, subjecting the residents of Oleshky to suffering and starvation.

In view of the above, the UCCRO:

• Appeals to Pope Leo XIV, the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance, other religious leaders, representatives of various faith communities, and human rights non-governmental organizations to raise their voices and use every available means to save the residents of Oleshky, Kherson Region, from death by starvation.

• Calls upon the UN Member States and the International Committee of the Red Cross to take the necessary steps to carry out a humanitarian mission aimed at evacuating the residents of Oleshky to Ukrainian government-controlled territory.

We express our gratitude to people of goodwill in different countries, religious leaders, human rights defenders, journalists, voices of moral authority, and principled political leaders for their support of the Ukrainian people and their prayers for an end to Russia’s armed aggression and the coming of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe.

Kyiv, 19 September 2026