Russian troops seize Ukrainian food aid from residents of occupied Oleshky, official says
Russian troops have been confiscating food packages delivered by Ukrainian drones to residents of occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, according to Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the city's Ukrainian military administration.
The reported seizures came after Ukrainian forces delivered about four metric tons of food to Oleshky by drone, the largest such delivery to the occupied city so far.
Hasanenko told Ukrinform that Russian troops question residents found with products that were not made in Russia and accuse those receiving Ukrainian aid of cooperating with Ukraine's Armed Forces.
“If the products aren't Russian-made, they immediately ask: Where did you get them?” Hasanenko said. “And they say: If the Ukrainian Armed Forces are dropping food for you, that means you're cooperating with them.”
Oleshky has been effectively cut off from food supplies since late May.
About 1,700 to 2,000 civilians are believed to remain in Oleshky itself, while roughly 6,000 people remain across the wider Oleshky community, which includes surrounding settlements.
Ukrainian officials say residents are facing severe food shortages while Russian forces prevent them from leaving.
Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said on Sept. 16 that Russia had for an extended period failed to confirm its readiness for a humanitarian evacuation mission.
Hasanenko also said residents continue to disappear in the occupied community. She cited one family whose whereabouts remain unknown after they were taken away by Russian forces.