Civilians in the Russian-occupied Kherson region of Ukraine are experiencing a humanitarian crisis and cannot be safely evacuated, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Thursday.
HRW stated: “Russian and Ukrainian armed forces should immediately stop using anti-personnel mines… and take all possible measures to protect civilians from mines… including effective warnings, information sharing on contaminated areas and education on mine risks.” The organization added that “belligerents have an obligation International humanitarian law to facilitate humanitarian access for civilians,” and that “Russia, as an occupying power, is obliged to ensure that civilians in occupied territories have access to food, medical care and other essential goods and services.” However, Russia has previously been criticized for failing to protect Ukrainian citizens.
Displaced people who have fled Oleshkywhich “has been under Russian occupation since February 2022 and is currently on the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces,” described “severe shortages of food and medical supplies” and “the near-total collapse of public utilities.” They have that too risked “unpredictable operations at Russian checkpoints” and “death or serious injury from ongoing hostilities and landmines while moving or attempting to leave the country.”
In addition to Oleshky, also the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine warned that in Hola Prystan, Stara Zburivka and Nova Zburivka “basic living conditions are completely absent”. It said Ukrainian officials had “received more than 220 direct requests to evacuate these settlements.”
The UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) confirmed that May 2026 saw the most civilian casualties since April 2022. The mission found that at least 275 civilians were killed and 1,763 were injured. HRMMU investigators said that “Russia’s use of powerful weapons in urban areas was the main reason for the high number of casualties.”
HRMMU posted on June 25 that “up to 6,000 civilians, including more than 180 children, live in these communities.” It too reported a “significant increase” in civilian casualties from short-range drones and noted “how the threat of drone strikes has impacted access to essential services, vital assistance and emergency relief.”
Ukraine and Russia have reportedly done this discussed “A possible local ceasefire, but no agreements have been reached yet.”
