Humanitarian mission needed in occupied Hola Prystan community, similar to Oleshky operation – local official

The Hola Prystan community needs a humanitarian mission similar to the one carried out in Oleshky. This was stated by Svitlana Linnik, head of the Hola Prystan City Military Administration, in an interview with Ukrinform. “All this time, people living under occupation have been in constant fear. In addition, leaving on their own requires substantial funds – hundreds of dollars, which these people or their relatives may simply not have. The mission recently carried out in Oleshky gave people some hope and faith that such an operation is possible. This includes those who want to take their pets with them, as well as people with limited mobility and bedridden patients,” Linnik said. She said that the community administration had received an email from a woman whose parents remain in one of the community’s villages and need to be evacuated. They are afraid to leave on their own because of landmines and constant drone attacks, and they have chronic illnesses. Therefore, there is a great and urgent need for a safe corridor for civilians who want to escape. Documentation is a separate problem. Some people have only Ukrainian passports, while others have no documents at all. The issues of filtration procedures and Russian mobilization are also acute. As a result, residents cannot leave without a humanitarian corridor, even if they manage to find the money. She added that the Hola Prystan community was experiencing a humanitarian crisis, while its coastal strip was an area of total humanitarian disaster. “The community has already endured a complete blockade from late 2025 until March 2026, just like Oleshky. The entire community is now in a state of humanitarian crisis. Settlements that were considered relatively far from the front line as recently as last year – the Hladkivka and Malokopanivka starosta districts – are no longer so,” Linnik said. She stressed that areas within the 15–25-kilometer coastal strip were experiencing a total humanitarian disaster. These include Velyka and Mala Kardashynka, Kokhany, Stara and Nova Zburivka, dacha communities and the city of Hola Prystan. Read also: Humanitarian aid reportedly not reaching residents in occupied Oleshky community – Military Administration As Ukrinform reported, Russian forces looted the local hospital in Hola Prystan, in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region, taking away valuable equipment and furniture. Photo: Hola Prystan City Military Administration