Berlin march demands humanitarian access for occupied Oleshky
The Ukrainian civic movement Vitsche Berlin organized a march through central Berlin on 28 September under the slogan "Stop the Russian occupation of Oleshky," calling for humanitarian aid and safe evacuation of residents of Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged a "critical situation" in the city but blamed Ukraine, while Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation accused Russia of obstructing aid and shifting responsibility.
Key points
- March held in Berlin on 28 September, organized by Vitsche Berlin
- Route ran from Rotes Rathaus past the German Foreign Ministry to the Russian Embassy
- Organizers say over 6,000 people, including around 200 children, remain in occupied Oleshky and surrounding settlements
- Residents face shortages of food, drinking water and medicines, with Russian forces obstructing aid deliveries and evacuations
- Peskov acknowledged a "critical situation" in Oleshky but blamed Ukraine for obstructing supplies
- Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said Russia is shifting responsibility for the humanitarian crisis onto Ukraine
Why it matters
The march brought the humanitarian crisis in occupied Oleshky into a European capital and coincided with a rare Kremlin acknowledgment of "critical" conditions there. The exchange illustrates an ongoing contest of responsibility between Russia and Ukraine, with each side citing international-law obligations to assign blame for shortages and blocked evacuations.
What happened
On 28 September, the Ukrainian civic movement Vitsche Berlin held a march through central Berlin demanding humanitarian access and evacuation for civilians in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson Oblast. Participants gathered at the Rotes Rathaus, Berlin's city hall, and marched past the German Foreign Ministry to the Russian Embassy, carrying placards calling for the rescue of Oleshky's residents, humanitarian aid, and safe evacuation routes. According to the organizers, more than 6,000 people, including around 200 children, remain in occupied Oleshky and surrounding settlements, where residents face shortages of food, drinking water, and medicines and Russian forces are reported to obstruct humanitarian deliveries and evacuations. Activists called on the German government and the international community to increase pressure on Russia and to secure access to people still under occupation. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged a "critical situation" in Oleshky but accused Ukraine of obstructing supplies, a framing that Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council rejected as Russian blame-shifting.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All three supplied sources are Ukrainian-language outlets (one agency, two media) that frame the Berlin march as a humanitarian call to save Oleshky's residents, open evacuation routes, and increase international pressure on Russia. They foreground Russia's obstruction of aid deliveries and evacuations, cite the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission's standard on occupying-state obligations to assign responsibility to Russia, and present Peskov's blame-shifting as a Kremlin propaganda tactic via the Center for Countering Disinformation.
Where reporting differs
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged a "critical situation" in occupied Oleshky but claimed the "Kyiv regime is doing everything to obstruct the supply of products." Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council countered that Russia is attempting to shift responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe in Kherson Oblast onto Ukraine and that Russian occupation forces are obstructing humanitarian deliveries and evacuations.
Background
Oleshky is a city in Kherson Oblast that has been under Russian occupation. A UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine report cited in the facts states that, under international humanitarian law, an occupying state is obliged to provide the population with food and medical supplies and to facilitate humanitarian assistance. Activists at the march presented figures — over 6,000 residents, including around 200 children, remaining in occupied Oleshky and surrounding settlements — attributed to the march's organizers.