They eat weeds at gunpoint - Russia has caused famine near Kherson

Residents of the occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region are facing an acute food shortage and are forced to gather edible weeds. Evacuation from the city is not permitted, roads are mined. There is no electricity, water, or gas in the city, and shops are not operating. Up to 6,000 residents remain, including nearly 200 children. Locals discuss in chats which weeds are safe to eat.

Residents of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region are in a critical humanitarian situation. Due to food shortages, people are forced to gather edible weeds from gardens. Evacuation from the city is not permitted by Russian forces, and roads are mined. There has been no electricity, water, or gas since the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam three years ago, shops are closed, and medicine is virtually unavailable. Up to 6,000 residents remain in Oleshky, including nearly 200 children. Before the full-scale war, the population was about 24,000. A local resident, Galina, said she eats once a day. In local Telegram chats, people discuss which weeds are safe to eat. A volunteer involved in attempts to deliver food and organize evacuation maintains a list of the dead, which includes about 1,200 people. The death toll increases daily due to drone attacks and mine explosions.