Oleshky resident recounts survival in blockaded city

A resident of occupied Oleshky who returned to Ukraine described life in the city, which has been fully blockaded since May, as "simply hell" after four years and eight months of occupation. He recounted flooding after the Kakhovka Dam destruction, Russian tanks, and the Antonivskyi Bridge explosion. The man, Mykola, said the city was mined and blockaded, with people dying or being injured on mines while trying to leave. He described dangerous 25-kilometer bicycle trips to Radynsk for supplies, noting that hospitals lacked medicine and qualified doctors, and some wounded remain there without power or diesel. A major humanitarian evacuation began on October 30 after demining, with 25 buses carrying residents to Russia's Anapa, then via Belarus to Ukraine, while some chose to go to Russia. President Zelensky announced the operation's completion on October 31, with the ceasefire in Oleshky extended until 22:59 on November 1.