The Council of Churches is appealing to the Pope to save Ukrainians in the occupied territories from starvation

The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations has appealed to Pope Leo XIV, urging him to do everything in his power to save the residents of the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region. According to the Council, the town is under a humanitarian blockade and on the brink of a humanitarian disaster. Various estimates suggest that over 6,000 people may remain in Oleshky and the surrounding areas, including around 200 children. Residents do not have sufficient access to food, drinking water, medicines and other essential aid. The Council of Churches states that the last food deliveries took place at the end of May 2026. According to their information, Russian military forces are preventing residents from leaving the town. Oleshky is situated close to the front line, so civilians face the daily threat of shelling and drone attacks. There is no electricity or gas supply, and critical infrastructure has been largely destroyed. In its appeal, the Council of Churches specifically asks Pope Leo XIV, the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance and other religious leaders and human rights defenders to speak out and use every means at their disposal to prevent people from dying of starvation. At the same time, UN member states and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been called upon to facilitate a humanitarian mission and the evacuation of Oleshky’s residents to territory controlled by Ukraine. The Council of Churches pointed out that the Ukrainian side had repeatedly drawn the attention of international organisations to the situation in the town and had attempted to negotiate the evacuation of civilians. Oleshky also suffered widespread flooding in 2023 following the bombing of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station. The town currently remains under temporary Russian occupation.