Russian troops in occupied Oleshky are confiscating food delivered to civilians by Ukrainian drones and questioning residents found with Ukrainian-supplied products, according to the head of the town’s Ukrainian military administration. The allegations come after Ukrainian forces transported about four tonnes of food and medicines across the Dnipro in one of their largest humanitarian drone operations to date.

Russian forces in occupied Oleshky are taking food parcels delivered by Ukrainian military drones from local residents and treating possession of the supplies as possible evidence of collaboration with Ukraine, according to Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky City Military Administration.

Hasanenko said Ukrainian forces had delivered food to the Russian-controlled town by drone on several occasions, but that the latest operation was considerably larger, involving approximately four tonnes of supplies.

In comments published on 30 September, she said some residents managed to collect one or several packages, while others were unable to reach the supplies.

Russian personnel were subsequently taking some of the food from residents, she said.

According to Hasanenko, people found with goods that were not Russian-made were also questioned about where they had obtained them. Residents could then be accused of co-operating with the Armed Forces of Ukraine if Russian personnel concluded that the products had arrived through Ukrainian drone deliveries.

The allegations cannot be independently verified from inside Russian-controlled Oleshky. However, severe food shortages and restrictions on humanitarian access to the town have been independently documented by the United Nations.

Four tonnes carried across the Dnipro

The latest operation took place on 27 September and involved Ukrainian military units working with the Kherson regional authorities.

According to the regional administration, heavy drones transported approximately four tonnes of food and medicines to about 100 locations around Oleshky.

Instead of dropping the cargo directly from altitude, packages were lowered on cables to designated locations.

Units involved included the 30th Marine Corps, the 34th Separate Marine Brigade “Borysfen”, National Guard formations and Ukrainian border guards.

Ukrainian authorities say drone deliveries have become one of the few remaining ways of bringing supplies into the town. The Kherson administration said it had been sending food across the Dnipro by drone since March.

It estimates that around 2,000 civilians remain in Oleshky, including almost 50 children.

EU Today reported earlier this month that residents of Oleshky were facing increasingly severe food shortages as conventional supply routes became progressively more difficult to use.

The town lies on the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnipro, opposite Ukrainian-held territory around Kherson. The area is exposed to artillery fire, short-range drone operations and extensive mine contamination.

UN documented food shortages

The humanitarian conditions described by Ukrainian officials are consistent with findings published by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

After interviewing more than 20 residents from Russian-occupied communities near the front line, including Oleshky and Hola Prystan, the mission reported in June that thousands of civilians were facing food shortages and inadequate access to medical assistance.

Residents told UN investigators that the security situation had deteriorated considerably during 2025 and 2026.

The last grocery shop in Oleshky had stopped regular operations in January because supplies had run out, according to testimony collected by the UN. For months, residents depended on preserved food and limited private deliveries.

As of 24 June, the UN said no food deliveries had reached the town since 26 May.

Drone attacks and mines have also made attempts to bring supplies into Oleshky dangerous. On 2 June, a civilian convoy carrying food and humanitarian assistance struck a landmine at the entrance to the town, killing one person and injuring three others.

Under international humanitarian law, an occupying power is required to ensure that food and medical supplies are available to the civilian population and to facilitate humanitarian relief when local resources are inadequate.

Pressure for humanitarian access

The deteriorating situation has prompted repeated Ukrainian appeals for international intervention.

The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations recently called on Pope Leo XIV and international humanitarian organisations to support efforts to reach civilians trapped in the town. EU Today reported on the appeal for humanitarian access and civilian evacuation, which was also directed towards the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN member states.

Hasanenko has also alleged that disappearances continue inside the occupied community.

She said one family had recently disappeared after being detained by Russian forces, adding that Ukrainian authorities did not know whether its members were still alive.

The individual case cannot presently be independently confirmed. The UN has, however, documented arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment of civilians in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory during the war.

With independent humanitarian organisations unable to operate freely in Oleshky and conventional supply routes severely restricted, Ukrainian forces are increasingly using drones for a role far removed from their conventional battlefield purpose: carrying food and medicines across the Dnipro to civilians who remain behind Russian lines.