Activists stage demonstration in Dublin, laying empty plates on Ukrainian flag to draw attention to occupied Oleshky

13.10.2026, 11:33 rubryka.com

Demonstration participants used empty plates as a symbol of the threat of famine looming over the residents of Oleshky due to the Russian occupation. They laid the plates on a Ukrainian flag to highlight the humanitarian situation in the town.

Irish activists joined the Ukrainian community to express their support for Ukraine. During the event, attendees:

Organizers also drew parallels between the historical experiences of Ukrainians and Irish people, who share the memory of mass starvation.

The Ukrainian Crisis Centre in Ireland urged people to help spread information about the situation in Oleshky, to reach out to local politicians, and to remind the international community of the needs of residents in the occupied territories.

Organizers announced the next peaceful demonstration for October 25, set to begin at 2:00 p.m.

In early October, Dublin's Ukrainian community already held a rally supporting Oleshky. At that time, participants gathered near the General Post Office (GPO) to draw attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in the occupied town.

Background

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine constantly draws international attention to the severe deterioration of the humanitarian situation in certain areas of the temporarily occupied Kherson region due to crimes by Russian occupiers, who grossly violate international humanitarian law.

The situation in Oleshky, Hola Prystan, Stara Zburivka, and Nova Zburivka in the Kherson region is of particular concern, as the basic conditions needed to meet residents' needs, including children's, are entirely absent. Russian occupiers artificially block people from leaving and create obstacles to the supply of basic consumer goods, food products, and medicines.

The population has dropped from 40,000 to around 6,000 people, and in the city of Oleshky specifically, from 24,000 to roughly 2,000.

In May, the Ukrainian side held negotiations regarding the urgent humanitarian evacuation of civilians from temporarily occupied settlements in the Kherson region, where active fighting created a critical situation. This specifically concerns Oleshky, Hola Prystan, Stara Zburivka, and Nova Zburivka, where people remain without food, drinking water, and medicine.

Earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha declared a critical humanitarian situation in temporarily occupied Oleshky, Kherson region. According to him, civilians, including children, remain without sufficient food, medicine, clean water, electricity, and medical care. He called on the UN, the ICRC, and other international organizations to ensure humanitarian access and safe evacuation of people.

Additionally, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations called on Pope Leo XIV and international organizations to facilitate humanitarian assistance and the evacuation of residents.

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets stated that Russia has consistently refused to confirm its readiness to organize a humanitarian mission to evacuate civilians from Oleshky.

On October 4, guardsmen from the 11th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine named after Mykhailo Hrushevskyi and the 34th Kherson Regiment conducted a second successful operation delivering humanitarian aid to Oleshky.

As Rubryka reported, approximately two thousand residents of Oleshky have lived without food, drinking water, or medicine under strict Russian occupation control since April 2026. The town fell under occupation in the first days of the full-scale invasion. Since spring 2026, the situation has deteriorated sharply: residents face severe shortages of supplies while Russia blocks routes to Ukrainian-controlled territory, leaving two thousand people under siege.

Rubryka spoke with Oleksandr Pavlichenko, executive director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, about potential leverage options against Russia and similar historical precedents from the Russo-Ukrainian war.