Published on: 2026-06-25
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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June 25, 2026 Peace and Security
Thousands of peaceful residents caught in the crossfire on the front line in the occupied part of the Kherson region of Ukraine face a serious threat to their lives, lack of food, and absence of medical assistance. This was reported on Thursday by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in this country.
In recent weeks, the mission has surveyed residents of front-line settlements in the occupied territory of Kherson region. People reported that frequent drone attacks and the presence of minefields make evacuation and access to basic services extremely difficult. According to estimates by Ukrainian authorities, up to six thousand civilians remain in these communities, including more than 180 children.
“Frequent strikes by short-range drones and the presence of mines have a destructive impact on the lives of thousands of people,” said mission head Daniel Bell. “People cannot escape, food is not delivered, and the sick and wounded do not receive necessary medical assistance.”
The mission also documented a significant increase in the number of civilian casualties and injuries from drone strikes in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government, as well as how the threat of such attacks restricts access to basic services, humanitarian aid, and emergency support.
Short-range drones are usually equipped with a camera that transmits an image to the operator in real time – a “first-person view,” which allows distinguishing civilian objects from military ones. At the same time, most of the deceased and injured civilians are victims of drone strikes.
So, early morning on March 5, 2026, a drone killed two people and injured several others who were standing in line for groceries in the city of Oleshki. At the beginning of May, a drone wounded a local medic who was on a scooter. The second drone struck shortly after the first one, killing the wounded medic and a man who was trying to help him.
These attacks occurred in territory controlled by Russian armed forces, which were targeted by strikes from drones launched by Ukrainian military. As in many cases on the front line, the mission was unable to definitively establish responsibility for specific attacks.
The second most widespread threat in these territories has been mines. On June 2, a convoy of civilian vehicles transporting food and humanitarian aid to Oleshki detonated a mine at the city entrance. One person died, three were injured. According to the mission’s data, at least part of the incidents are related to antipersonnel mines — weapons prohibited by most countries due to their high danger to civilians.
Due to attacks by drones and minefields, the community is not receiving food supplies, and access to medical aid is extremely limited and dangerous. According to local residents, the last grocery store in Oleshky ceased regular operations back in January due to lack of goods. For several months, people survived on canned goods and rare batches of products from private suppliers, which were unavailable to those who could not reach distribution points. As of June 24, no food supplies had arrived in the city since May 26.
Local residents also reported that the ambulance stopped responding to calls, and medical assistance is provided only in the most critical cases. On June 24, four wounded in Oleshky hospital needed evacuation to Skadovsk for further treatment, but it was impossible to transport them. One patient recently died without receiving the transfer.
According to international law, the occupying power is obliged to provide the population with food and medicine, and, if necessary, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Volunteers told the mission that organized evacuation is too dangerous due to the threat of drones and mines, but they managed to help about 180 people leave these areas over the past months. The largest evacuation took place from May 9 to 11, when during a three-day reduction in combat intensity volunteers evacuated 32 people. However, such one-time evacuations do not correspond to the scale of needs, volunteers and local residents emphasize.
“An urgent local ceasefire is needed so that people can leave, and those who stay can be delivered food and medicine,” emphasized Daniel Bell.
Please note; this information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.