[1] It consists of sand dunes or kuchuhury (locally),[clarification needed] which are up to five meters high.

It is speculated that the amount of vegetation was reduced by herds of sheep who were introduced there by Friedrich-Jacob Eduardovych Falz-Fein [de; ru; uk] who used the sands, formerly populated by weeds, as a pasture.

In Soviet times the sands were used as an Air Force bombing range for pilots of the Warsaw Pact alliance.

Oleshky Sands are around 15 kilometres (9 mi) across and are surrounded by a dense afforestation, planted to prevent dunes moving.

Beneath the sands, at a depth of around 35 metres (115 ft), there is an underground lake, which forms an essential part of the local environment.