---
title: "European Parliament Vice-President starts hunger strike over humanitarian crisis in occupied Oleshky"
description: "European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno has declared a hunger strike demanding an immediate humanitarian truce, delivery of aid, and evacuation of residents in occupied Oleshky."
date: 2026-10-20T21:16:56.022Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/european-parliament-vice-president-hunger-strike-oleshky
tags: [european-parliament, oleshky, humanitarian-crisis, pina-picherino, ukraine, kherson-region]
author: "Marina Slivenko"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# European Parliament Vice-President starts hunger strike over humanitarian crisis in occupied Oleshky

![European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno against the background of the EU and Ukrainian flags](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/20/vice-prezident-evroparlamenta-objavila-holodovku-iz-za-krizisa-v-oleshkakh/vice-prezident-evroparlamenta-objavila-holodovku-iz-za-krizisa-v-oleshkakh-1.webp)

## Key Points

- European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno has launched a hunger strike in support of residents in occupied Oleshky.
- She demands a humanitarian truce, delivery of food and medicine, and safe evacuation of civilians.
- Between 1,700 and 2,000 civilians remain in Oleshky according to various reports; about 24,000 lived there before the war.
- Picierno's initiative is linked to the efforts of Pope Leo XIV, who discussed the situation with Zelenskyy and Putin.

European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno has announced a hunger strike to draw the international community's attention to the humanitarian crisis in the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region. The Italian politician announced this in a post on the social network X, which Ukrainian media cited on October 20, 2026, referencing her statement. According to her, the protest aims to «bring international attention to this emergency situation,» and she emphasizes that «this struggle cannot be just mine.»

### Nature of the protest and specific demands

In her appeal, Picierno outlines three key demands: an immediate humanitarian truce, the delivery of food and medicine to the city, and the creation of conditions for the safe evacuation of residents wishing to leave Oleshky. The politician calls her initiative a «great non-violent action» and urges civil society organizations, citizens, and national and local institutions to join it. On the same day, an interview with her was published in the Italian newspaper la Repubblica, in which she described the hunger strike as «a gesture of anger and hope» and a response to the Pope's call for a truce.

### Humanitarian crisis in Oleshky

According to reports on the situation in the city, the humanitarian crisis in temporarily occupied Oleshky has been worsening for months: residents face shortages of food, medicine, and medical care, while opportunities to leave the city remain severely limited due to hostilities and mined roads. As Picierno notes, «those who stay risk dying of hunger, those who try to escape risk their lives.» According to her, about 24,000 people lived in Oleshky before the war. Sources give conflicting figures for the number of civilians remaining: some reports mention about 2,000 people, while others put it at approximately 1,700. In any case, according to politicians and observers, thousands of people are trapped in the occupied territory without regular access to food and medicine.

### Diplomatic context and the role of the papacy

Picierno directly links her initiative to the efforts of Pope Leo XIV and all those trying to prevent a large-scale humanitarian tragedy. Earlier, the pontiff discussed the humanitarian situation in Oleshky with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and subsequently held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling for a settlement in the city. «The residents of Oleshky cannot be left to their fate. It is time to act together so that diplomacy yields real results and no one dies in silence,» said the European Parliament Vice-President, calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and the admission of aid into the city.

### Call for solidarity

Summing up, Picierno emphasizes that a solitary action cannot solve the problem and demands collective action: from civil society to national and local institutions. Her appeal is thus positioned not as an isolated gesture, but as an attempt to mobilize the international community around a specific humanitarian request—a truce, the delivery of aid, and the safe departure of civilians from the occupied city.

## Accounts differ

### Number of remaining civilians in Oleshky

- **RБК-Україна (article basis):** About two thousand civilians remain in the city. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kriza-oleshkah-vitseprezidentka-evroparlamentu-1792530017.html))
- **ZN.ua:** About 1,700 people are currently left in Oleshky (compared to about 24,000 before the war). ([zn.ua](https://zn.ua/war/vitse-prezident-evroparlamenta-objavila-holodovku-iz-za-krizisa-v-oleshkakh.html))

*Where they agree:* A limited number of civilians (around 1,700–2,000) remain in temporarily occupied Oleshky without regular access to food and medicine, while evacuation is hindered by hostilities and minefields.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Кризис в Олешках: вице-президент Европарламента объявила голодовку](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kriza-oleshkah-vitseprezidentka-evroparlamentu-1792530017.html) - Primary source: the fact of the hunger strike, Picierno's demands, reference to the Pope, and the civilian population of about two thousand.
- ["Тысячи людей оказались в ловушке": вице-президент Европарламента объявила голодовку из-за ...](https://www.obozrevatel.com/section-politics-news/news-tysyachi-lyudey-opynylysya-u-pasttsi-vitse-prezydentka-yevroparlamentu-oholosyla-holoduvannya-cherez-sytuatsiyu-v-okupovanykh-oleshkakh-20-10-2026.html) - Confirms the fact of the hunger strike and the humanitarian nature of the demands.
- [Вице-президент Европарламента объявила голодовку из-за кризиса в Олешках](https://zn.ua/war/vitse-prezident-evroparlamenta-objavila-holodovku-iz-za-krizisa-v-oleshkakh.html) - Complements with details: interview in la Repubblica, 24k residents before the war, about 1.7k now, quote about the risk to life.

## FAQ

### Who declared a hunger strike and why?

European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno declared a hunger strike to draw the international community's attention to the humanitarian crisis in the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky, Kherson region.

### What demands is Picierno putting forward?

An immediate humanitarian truce, delivery of food and medicine to the city, and the creation of conditions for the safe evacuation of residents wishing to leave Oleshky.

### How many civilians remain in Oleshky?

Sources indicate different figures: some reports mention about 2,000 people, while others put it at approximately 1,700. About 24,000 people lived in the city before the war.

### How is the protest connected to the Pope's actions?

Picierno calls her initiative support for the efforts of Pope Leo XIV. Previously, the pontiff discussed the situation in Oleshky with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then held a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin.