Russia will use strikes on ‘humanitarian’ shipments carrying troops to Oleshky against Ukraine — expert

In an interview with Radio NV, Andriushchenko said Russian drone units are based in Oleshky and that Russian forces use purported humanitarian shipments to supply them, while also bringing small amounts of food for local residents.

“I think it is theoretically possible, but to be objective, we need to change our official messaging and be prepared for what the Russians will use against us when this is discussed broadly at the highest levels. The situation in Oleshky is complicated right now. As I said, there is a reason the Russians bring humanitarian shipments there alongside military supplies. The Russians have plenty of photos and videos of what they portray as strikes by our side on civilian convoys, let’s call them that. And this will be used against us,” the expert said.

He suggested that the lack of communication from Ukrainian authorities may stem from uncertainty over how to address the issue publicly.

“Although I think we simply need to communicate honestly and explain what is in these convoys, what they look like and what the consequences are. If we change our state policy and stop limiting ourselves to appeals from the ombudsman, perhaps it will begin to produce results. So far, we hear responses from humanitarian organizations and the ombudsman, while our official institutions largely remain silent. I think this is because of the difficulty of explaining these potential strikes,” Andriushchenko said.

Situation in Oleshky

On Sept. 16, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Russia had for an extended period failed to confirm its readiness to evacuate civilians from Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, despite previous agreements and established procedures for the mission.

Lubinets said the Ukrainian side had agreed with Russia on evacuation procedures and a list of people who needed to be evacuated from the city. The International Committee of the Red Cross was also prepared to participate in the humanitarian mission under its mandate.

The ombudsman said more than 6,000 people, including about 200 children, may remain in Oleshky and the surrounding area.

“The most frightening thing is that people are already crossing mined fields on their own because they see no other way to escape this hell. They risk stepping on a mine or being hit by a drone, but they keep going because staying in Oleshky is even worse for them,” Lubinets added.

On May 6, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the humanitarian situation had deteriorated in parts of Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast because of Russian actions that violate international law. Critical infrastructure there has been largely destroyed, with electricity and gas supplies unavailable.

Ukrainian authorities and international organizations are trying to arrange an evacuation from the city, but the National Resistance Center said Russia is exploiting the humanitarian crisis for propaganda purposes. Russian officials claim that Ukrainian forces are preventing aid deliveries, seeking to shift responsibility for the consequences of the occupation onto Ukraine.

The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that no food supplies had reached Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast since May 26. Local residents reported persistent drone attacks and widespread mining that have made evacuations and access to basic necessities extremely difficult.