// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Residents eating garden weeds in Russian-occupied city cut off from food and water
Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since 2022 and its people are now trapped
"Two more civilians died last night," says Halia, before her phone connection cuts off.
She is trapped in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky, which she says is "constantly shelled" and cut off from food and water.
Three days later she tells me the two who were killed were a husband and wife. She knew them well.
They were bringing home a bag of food from the closest neighbouring town of Radensk, 23km (14 miles) away, but were unable to get home before a curfew imposed by Russian occupation authorities.
They were then killed by a drone. Four separate sources have confirmed the deaths of two civilians carrying food on 20 September.
Halia does not want to share their names for fear she might be identified. Her name has been changed to protect her safety.
Hers is just one of the many harrowing accounts the BBC has heard from residents in the front-line city in southern Kherson in recent days.
Occupied by Russia since 2022, Oleshky is trapped between the Dnipro River, which separates it from Ukrainian positions, and Russian forces.
It is also one of the cities where thousands of people lost their homes after the collapse of Nova Khakova Dam in 2023, flooding buildings up to their rooftops. Ukraine and Nato accused Russia of blowing up the dam, while Russia blamed Ukraine.