Ukraine Uses Drones to Aid Starving Civilians in Oleshky
Ukraine delivered food and medicine via heavy-lift drones to Russian-occupied Oleshky as approximately 2,000 civilians face starvation and a blockade of basic utilities.
The Ukrainian military used heavy-lift drones to deliver nearly 4 metric tons of food and medicine in approximately 400 packages to the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky. The delivery follows reports of a severe humanitarian crisis where roughly 2,000 civilians are trapped without electricity, heat, or clean water, with the last road-based food delivery occurring on May 26.
Ukrainian officials and the town's exiled mayor, Tetiana Khasanenko, accuse Russian forces of using residents as human shields and wielding hunger as a tool of coercion. Residents have reportedly resorted to eating weeds for sustenance, while those attempting to reach neighboring villages for food face ubiquitous landmines and drone strikes. Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that Russia has rejected proposals to allow civilians to evacuate the area.
The Kremlin acknowledged a genuine humanitarian catastrophe but denied targeting civilians. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed the Ukrainian government is responsible for the crisis, asserting that the Ukrainian Armed Forces disrupt aid deliveries and prevent residents from leaving the city. In response to the blockade, Ukraine has called on the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to establish a safe evacuation corridor for the remaining population.
