People who were evacuated from Alyoshki in Kherson Region, Russia told RT of hunger, relentless Ukrainian drone attacks, and homes being destroyed, describing how Russian soldiers brought supplies and helped them escape.
The frontline town, across the Dnieper River from Ukrainian-held Kherson, has been largely cut off from essential supplies for months. Evacuees described the targeting and destruction of vehicles carrying food and the threat of drones making even a few minutes outdoors dangerous.
“There’s nothing to eat. No medicine. Drones are constantly hovering above you,” one resident said, adding that people could barely step outside for a cigarette before another drone appeared.
He said three vehicles attempted to bring supplies in the spring. “They blew up the first one, then the second, then the third. So they wouldn’t let us get anything in.” People had to rely on vegetables from their gardens, he said, with no vehicles able to reach them.
Another evacuee, Sergey, described living without running water, electricity, and gas after flooding devastated the 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 said 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, a regular life,” he said, noting that soldiers shared cigarettes, canned meat, grains, and offered further help.
The humanitarian operation is underway under a temporary Russia-Ukraine ceasefire around Alyoshki. The ceasefire began on October 27 and is scheduled to continue through November 1, following mediation involving US First Lady Melania Trump.
A convoy carrying food, medicine, drinking water, hygiene supplies, and fuel for generators arrived in the town on Friday. The operation also provides the opportunity for those who wish to leave to evacuate.
Russian officials accused Ukrainian forces of obstructing deliveries and evacuations by targeting access roads and scattering mines from drones. Russian military engineers have been clearing the routes to allow the humanitarian convoy through.