At the fourth plenary meeting of the XXVIII extraordinary session of the Lviv Regional Council on 20 October, deputies supported an appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the critical humanitarian situation in the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in Kherson region and the need for the safe evacuation of its residents.
As noted by Lviv Regional Council deputy Oreslava Khomyk, President Viktor Yushchenko and the Council of Churches had previously addressed international organisations with similar statements. She stressed that as of October the situation in Oleshky had escalated into a humanitarian catastrophe and posed a direct threat to the life and health of civilians due to an acute shortage of food, medicines and access to essential assistance.
The text of the appeal states that the residents of Oleshky are suffering from a lack of food, drinking water, medicines and the possibility of receiving medical care. According to the data cited in the document, between three and six thousand civilians remain in the town, including around 180 children. It separately highlights the vulnerable situation of children, elderly people, persons with disabilities and those who require constant treatment and care.
The deputies of the Lviv Regional Council are asking the International Committee of the Red Cross to employ existing international mechanisms to organise a safe humanitarian corridor and the evacuation of Oleshky’s civilian population to territory controlled by Ukraine or to safe third countries. Until a possible evacuation can begin, it is proposed to facilitate the delivery to the town of humanitarian supplies: drinking water, food, baby food and life-saving medicines.
«We call on you not to leave the residents of Oleshky alone with this tragedy, to draw the utmost attention of the international community to their plight and to make every effort to prevent further loss of life and to ensure every civilian’s right to life, safety and dignity»
The appeal also contains a call on the international community to step up its attention to the situation of civilians in the town and to promote compliance with the norms of international humanitarian law in the temporarily occupied territory.