Ryazan 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 Ryazan Oblast

Ryazan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia covering 39,600 square kilometers (15,300 square miles), approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) southeast of Moscow, with a population of around 1.1 million. The region hosts military installations and oil refining facilities supporting Russia's war effort. Ukrainian forces have conducted drone strikes on refineries and military targets in Ryazan Oblast since February 2022.

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