Oryol Oblast: News

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Neighbors from hell — How one Oleshky family survived living next to Russian soldiers

For years, the Samarsky family lived in the embattled, occupied Oleshky alongside neighbors no one wished to have — Russian soldiers. Serhii Samarsky, his wife Olha Liutikova, and their son Vladyslav remained in the town after Russian forces occupied it during the early stages of its full-scale invasion until October 2026, when a humanitarian mission, mediated by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, allowed them to be evacuated. Together, they survived relentless air attacks, cold winters without he

Vladyslav Samarsky at the Ukraine-Belarus border in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Oct. 31, 2026.

About Oryol Oblast

Oryol Oblast is a federal subject of Russia, approximately 360 kilometers (224 miles) south of Moscow. Oryol Oblast covers 24,700 square kilometers (9,500 square miles) and has a population of around 730,000. Its administrative center is Oryol city. Ukrainian forces have conducted drone strikes on fuel depots and military facilities in Oryol Oblast since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

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