What did Zarina Zabriskie say about life in Oleshky under Russian occupation?

Zarina Zabriskie, a US journalist based in Kherson, told the BBC she has interviewed close to 100 people from Oleshky and nearby villages over about nine months. From December 2025 residents reported no food, power, gas or heat. She described four years of violence, with many people disappeared, killed, tortured or imprisoned, and said fear makes residents reluctant to speak to journalists.

• Oleshky once had about 24,000 residents; roughly 1,500 to 2,000 remain.
• Zabriskie's sources put the number wanting to leave at anywhere from 300 to 1,000.
• Many who tried to escape in spring were killed or lost limbs on mines.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-10-30). Read the whole episode summary →

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