Ukrainian media identifies Russian officers responsible for blockade, starvation of occupied Oleshky

An investigation by Ukrainian media outlet Slidstvo.info published on Oct. 23 has uncovered the identities of Russian officers involved in the blockade of the city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast.

The Russian-occupied city, located just across the Dnipro River from Kherson, has been effectively blockaded by Russian forces in the area, who prevent humanitarian aid from entering. Civilians attempting to flee via the only roads in and out of the city are frequently targeted by drones.

Building on a previous investigation published in 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, Slidstvo.info established the presence of the 217th Guards Airborne Regiment and its commander, Georgy Yanchev.

According to the Oct. 23 investigation, the 217th Regiment previously took part in the Battle of Kyiv at the outset of Russia's full-scale invasion and later fought in Chasiv Yar, one of the main hotspots of fighting in Donetsk Oblast.

Yanchev, who has served in the Russian military since 1993 and holds the rank of colonel, has three children who live in the central Russian city of 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 virtually impossible.

As the humanitarian crisis in the city has grown increasingly severe this autumn, international pressure to provide assistance to the remaining residents trapped inside has mounted.

On Oct. 16, Pope Leo XIV expressed concern over the worsening situation in Oleshky during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The pope called for a local ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and the safe evacuation of civilians from the front-line city, where around 2,000 residents remain trapped amid severe shortages of food and medicine.

Ukraine and Russia are nearing an 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.