At the press conference held at the headquarters of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, civil society organisations called for the opening of a humanitarian aid corridor to deliver food, clean water and medical supplies to civilians affected by the Russia-Ukraine War, which began on 24 February 2022 and has continued for over four years. In the press release, İHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation Trustee Osman Atalay, International Refugee Rights Foundation representative Av. Zeynep Ertekin, Özgür-Der Vice President Musa Üzer, Sadakataşı Association Vice President Cevdet Hasbal, and Yetim Vakfi Volunteer and Representation Relations Director Muhammed Musa Gül.

'Oleshky residents are unable to access basic necessities.' 

At the press conference, Osman Atalay, a member of the Board of Trustees of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, was the first to speak, stating: “Reports from the town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, which is under temporary Russian occupation, clearly reveal the scale of the humanitarian crisis. It is reported that of the approximately 24,000 people who lived in Oleshky before the war began, only 2,000 remain today, 50 of whom are children. It is also reported that there is no electricity or natural gas in the city and that access to food, medicine and other basic necessities has been cut off for about a month.”

Our appeal to the international community is clear.

Addressing the international community, Atalay stated: 'For this reason, our appeal to the parties to the conflict and the international community is clear:

Uninterrupted humanitarian aid must be delivered to civilians in the Oleshky and Kherson regions.

Access to clean water, food, medicine, health services, energy and shelter must be guaranteed.

An effective humanitarian corridor must be established by mutual agreement among the parties to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians.

Children, the elderly, the sick, and other vulnerable groups must be prioritised for protection.

Unrestricted access to the region must be granted to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations.

The parties to the conflict must facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and evacuations in areas where civilians reside.

A call to Türkiye for civilians in Kherson

Addressing the President of Türkiye, Atalay said: 'Under the leadership of our President, Türkiye has undertaken important initiatives since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war to deliver humanitarian aid and bring about peace. It is vital that Türkiye plays its role in humanitarian aid. For this reason, we are calling for diplomatic initiatives led by our president and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly to deliver aid to civilians trapped in Oleški in the Kherson region.”

Attention was drawn to the human rights dimension of the war.

In her statement, Attorney Zeynep Ertekin, a representative of the International Refugee Rights Association, said, “Since the day the war began in Ukraine, we have continued our monitoring and reporting activities. We emphasise that the ongoing humanitarian crisis is a clear human rights issue, primarily due to the obstruction of civilians’ access to basic necessities, including the right to life.”

In his remarks, Musa Üzer, Vice President of Özgür-Der, said, “The Russia-Ukraine war has shown us this once again: It is easy to start a war, but difficult to sustain and end it.” Discussions about the war generally focus on the situation on the front lines, while the hardships faced by civilians and the oppressed are not given enough attention. In this regard, it is of great importance that IHH has raised awareness of the situation in Oleshky and Kherson and drawn attention to the problems faced by the thousands of people living under siege.”

Children Bear the Heaviest Burden of War

The protection of civilians and full compliance with international law must be ensured.

Next to speak was Cevdet Hasbal, Vice President of the Sadakataşı Association, who said, “The devastating consequences of wars, whether in Iraq yesterday or in Palestine and Ukraine today, affect civilians, displaced families and children who simply want to fly kites under a free sky the most. Today in Ukraine, it is once again the children who are paying the price of war.”

Muhammed Musa Gül, Director of Volunteer and Representative Relations at the Orphan Foundation, said: 'We played an active role in safely bringing children staying in orphanages during the early stages of the war to Türkiye. Throughout this process, we provided support to ensure the children’s safety and meet their basic needs. As the Orphan Foundation, we will continue to support children affected by war and help them to achieve a secure future.”

The press conference concluded following the speeches.