Ukrainian outlet Slidstvo.info has identified Russian officers it says are responsible for the blockade of the occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, where around 2,000 civilians remain trapped amid severe shortages of food, water and medicine and aid is being kept out.
An investigation published by Ukrainian media outlet Slidstvo.info on Oct. 23 has identified Russian officers responsible for the blockade of Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Kherson Oblast just across the Dnipro River from Kherson.
Russian forces in the area prevent humanitarian aid from entering the city, and civilians attempting to flee via the only roads in and out are frequently targeted by drones.
Building on an earlier investigation from late September that identified the commanders of the Russian 126th Coast Guard Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet and the 331st Guards Airborne Regiment as operating in the area, the new report establishes the presence of the 217th Guards Airborne Regiment and its commander, Colonel Georgy Yanchev. The 217th Regiment previously took part in the Battle of Kyiv in the early phase of Russia's full-scale invasion and later fought in Chasiv Yar, one of the main hotspots in Donetsk Oblast. Yanchev has served in the Russian military since 1993 and has three children living in Samara.
Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the full-scale invasion. Residents face severe shortages of food, water and electricity, while mined roads, constant drone attacks and interrogations by Russian troops at checkpoints make safe evacuation nearly impossible.
International pressure to help the remaining residents has mounted as the crisis worsened. On Oct. 16, Pope Leo XIV expressed concern over the situation in Oleshky during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling for a local ceasefire to allow humanitarian deliveries and the safe evacuation of civilians.
Ukraine and Russia are nearing agreement on the final details of civilian evacuation from Oleshky and nearby settlements, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Oct. 18. In the meantime, Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the western bank of the Dnipro have made repeated deliveries of food aid to the area by drone.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Naming individual officers by unit and rank supports future accountability efforts and documents allegations of the deliberate use of starvation as a tactic of war.
- Around 2,000 civilians remain trapped in a front-line city with severe shortages of food, water, electricity and medicine, and evacuation routes are actively targeted.
- Negotiators say an evacuation agreement is close, which makes the coming days decisive for the civilians still inside.
Background
Russia has held Oleshky since the early weeks of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. The city sits on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, opposite the city of Kherson. Ukrainian forces recaptured Kherson itself in late 2022, but territory across the river remained under Russian control. Since then, reports have repeatedly described restrictions on aid and movement in Russian-occupied areas along the river, with humanitarian conditions deteriorating as the front line has held.
Key Perspectives
Slidstvo.info and Ukrainian investigators: The investigation ties the 217th Guards Airborne Regiment and its commander to the blockade, and connects the unit to earlier fighting in the Battle of Kyiv and at Chasiv Yar. Its purpose is to document responsibility for conditions in the occupied city.
International actors: The pope's intervention, in a direct call with President Putin, reflects growing concern and a specific demand for a local ceasefire to allow aid and evacuations.
Ukrainian authorities: The ombudsman reports that evacuation negotiations with Russia are close to conclusion, while Ukrainian forces on the western bank are already using drones to deliver food to residents.
Critics and skeptics: The findings rest on wartime investigative reporting and could not be independently verified in this account. Russian authorities are not quoted in the report, and the conditions described have not been acknowledged by Moscow.
What to Watch
- Whether the evacuation agreement, described as nearing finalisation on Oct. 18, is actually concluded and implemented on the ground.
- Whether humanitarian corridors open and aid begins to enter Oleshky, or whether the blockade continues.
- Whether the papal call for a local ceasefire translates into any concrete arrangement between the two sides.