UWC President urges world not to look away from hunger in occupied Oleshky

Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Paul Grod has called on the international community to pay attention to the unfolding tragedy in occupied Oleshky, speaking during an official visit to New York for the opening of the UN General Assembly.

While world leaders gather to discuss peace and security, Grod said, people in a small Ukrainian town are starving. 

“I want you to know its name. Its name is Oleshky,” he said.

He drew a parallel with the Holodomor of 1932-33, when Soviet leader Joseph Stalin used hunger as a weapon against the Ukrainian people, sealing off villages and seizing food while millions died. Vladimir Putin, Grod said, is using the same weapon today.

Oleshky is a small town in southern Ukraine, occupied by Russia since 2022 and located just 10km from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Despite this, Grod said, Russia has cut the town off entirely.

Around 6,000 civilians, including roughly 200 children, remain trapped in Oleshky and the surrounding area. No food has reached the town since May. Roads are mined, and Russian drones have struck people attempting to leave. 

Even the Kremlin now acknowledges the shortages are critical, Grod said, yet Russia continues to block humanitarian aid and refuses to let civilians evacuate.

“This is not only a humanitarian crisis. It is part of Russia’s deliberate effort to erase Ukrainians as a people,” Grod said.

UWC President urged people around the world to share Oleshky’s story, contact their elected officials, alert local media, and demand safe humanitarian access and civilian evacuation. 

“Russia is counting on the world to look away. We will not let that happen. Do not stay silent. Stand with the people of Oleshky. Stand with Ukraine,” Grod said.