Residents of the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, who were successfully brought to territory controlled by Ukraine, are receiving comprehensive support in Zakarpattia: medical, social, and psychological. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration. According to representatives of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Office, the evacuees have endured years of fear, regular drone attacks, as well as a chronic deficit of electricity, gas, food, and access to proper medical care.
Years of living under occupation: What displaced persons share
During conversations in Zakarpattia, people describe the difficult conditions of existence under Russian occupation: constant shelling, the lack of basic utilities, and a shortage of necessities. Among the rescued is a man who sustained severe leg injuries in May as a result of a Russian drone attack. Due to the lack of electricity and necessary equipment in the Oleshky hospital, he was placed in a cast without a proper examination. Despite prolonged treatment at home, the fractures never healed. Currently, the man is undergoing medical examinations in Zakarpattia and preparing for surgery.
Medical and psychological rehabilitation
In Zakarpattia, displaced persons are helped to restore lost documents, obtain internally displaced person (IDP) status, and sign declarations with family doctors. Concurrently, people undergo medical examinations and rehabilitation, including psychological support. Another evacuee is a woman who lived under occupation with her parents for five years and, despite pressure, refused to obtain a Russian passport. Due to a food shortage, the family survived on vegetables from their own garden—specifically, people even made flour out of zucchini. The woman has now been accommodated in one of the regional sanatorium-treatment facilities, where she is provided with three meals a day.
Organization of the humanitarian operation
On November 11, a group of evacuated residents from Oleshky was accommodated in an upgraded temporary housing facility in Zakarpattia. The humanitarian rescue operation was organized under the coordination of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Office and through the mediation of international partners, notably US First Lady Melania Trump. Thus, the extraction of civilians from the occupation zone and their subsequent adaptation in territory controlled by Ukraine are becoming part of a coordinated humanitarian process involving both national institutions and foreign intermediaries.
Context: Recent mission in Oleshky
Recall that recently Russia and Ukraine, with US mediation, conducted a humanitarian mission in Oleshky. According to available data, through this mission Russia essentially strengthened its military forces in the Oleshky area. This episode highlights the dual nature of such "humanitarian" contacts and explains why the evacuation of civilians to territory controlled by Ukraine and their rehabilitation are viewed as a separate, independent priority.
