Russian Forces Accused of Taking Drone-Delivered Food in Occupied Oleshky

Ukrainian forces delivered nearly 400 packages containing almost four metric tons of food and medicine by drone to Russian-occupied Oleshky, in southern Ukraine, according to reports on Oct. 4, 2026. Tetiana Hasanenko, the exiled head of the town’s military administration, said Russian forces subsequently confiscated some of the food intended for residents.¹³

Aid delivered by drone

The operation was the second large drone delivery to Oleshky, according to The Kyiv Independent. Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Kherson Oblast, reported that the shipment included food, medical supplies and kits for children, and said all the parcels reached the town. A Perun drone crew also evacuated six animals from Russian-held territory during the operation.¹

A similar operation in September transported about four metric tons of supplies into Oleshky. The Straits Times reported that Ukrainian forces had again turned to heavy-lift drones because residents were struggling to obtain food and medicines. Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since 2022 and lies on the Dnipro River along the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces.¹³

Confiscation and questioning alleged

Hasanenko said Russian troops took an unspecified portion of the latest food shipment. She also said residents found with products that were not made in Russia had been questioned on suspicion of cooperating with the Ukrainian military. These allegations were reported by one source and have not been independently corroborated in the dossier.¹

Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of repeatedly interfering with relief efforts, including shooting down food-carrying drones, confiscating or reselling supplies and detaining recipients. Prokudin alleged that residents who accepted aid had been detained and subjected to violence. The Straits Times separately reported that Russia had obstructed food deliveries and had not accepted Ukrainian proposals for civilians to leave Oleshky.¹³

Shortages and isolation

Communications with those remaining in Oleshky are limited, and people there fear reprisals from the occupying authorities, The Japan Times reported. A woman identified as Olga, who remained in contact with two families in the town, said flour had run out and bread was no longer available to residents.²

Hasanenko estimated that about 2,000 people, including almost 50 children, remained in Oleshky with little access to essential services. Estimates for the wider district exceeded 6,000 civilians, including about 200 children. She also said the hospital lacked basic medicines, mains electricity and running water, and had depended on generators since the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023.¹

The local administration said on Oct. 1 that Russian forces had imposed a complete blockade on the town and surrounding district, and that no humanitarian aid had arrived through ordinary channels since May 26. Ukrainian officials also reported deaths and injuries involving mines and drones during attempts to leave the town or bring in food, but those accounts remain single-source claims.¹

Infrastructure and danger

According to the Ukrainian account, Russian forces destroyed the Antonivka bridge in November 2022, cutting Oleshky’s last connection to Ukrainian-held territory. According to that source, Russian forces were responsible for the Kakhovka Dam's collapse in June 2023, and the ensuing floods destroyed much of the town's remaining water, power and gas systems.¹

Hasanenko said four people trying to leave Oleshky were injured by a landmine and that a man gathering nuts was killed by another mine. Ukrainian reports also said at least four people had been killed during a food-delivery attempt and that two civilians bringing food from a nearby town were killed by a drone.¹