Ukrainian forces deliver over 600 kg of aid to children in occupied Oleshky
Ukrainian National Guard personnel delivered 15 packages of children’s food and toys to occupied Oleshky using drones on October 24. The packages weighed more than 600 kg and were intended for families with children. The operation took place amid a humanitarian blockade and preparations for a possible evacuation.
Key points
- The delivery was carried out on October 24 using drones and drone-drop chutes.
- National Guard members from the “Bolharychi” special-purpose company of the 11th Brigade delivered 15 packages.
- The packages contained dry breakfasts, milk, developmental games and toys, and weighed more than 600 kg in total.
- The aid was intended for families with children in Oleshky on Kherson Oblast.
- An estimated 6,000 people, including about 200 children, may remain in Oleshky and nearby areas.
- Ukrainian and Russian sides agreed to a temporary cessation of hostilities for a humanitarian mission and the preparation of civilian evacuation.
Why it matters
The delivery provided essential supplies to families with children in a city facing a humanitarian blockade and the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe. Using drones and drop chutes enabled the aid to reach Oleshky without a direct ground advance. The operation also forms part of a broader humanitarian effort that includes a temporary cessation of hostilities and preparations to evacuate civilians.
What happened
On October 24, personnel from the National Guard’s “Bolharychi” special-purpose company of the 11th Brigade delivered 15 packages to occupied Oleshky. The packages contained dry breakfasts, milk, developmental games and toys and had a combined weight of more than 600 kg. They were transported using drones and released through drone-drop chutes for families with children. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi reported the operation. The aid was delivered shortly before an announced temporary ceasefire intended to support humanitarian assistance and the safe evacuation of civilians.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting focuses on the National Guard operation, the participating special-purpose unit, the composition and weight of the packages and their intended recipients. The delivery is presented as a concrete humanitarian action by Ukrainian security forces within the wider crisis in occupied Oleshky, while also emphasizing the blockade, the presence of children and the limited reach of food deliveries.
Where reporting differs
Ukrainian sources disagree on the date when the temporary ceasefire for the Oleshky humanitarian mission is due to begin, reporting either October 27 or October 29. They also provide different estimates of the number of blocked residents: more than 6,000 in the city and nearby district, or about 1,700 in the destroyed city itself.
Background
Oleshky is under a humanitarian blockade and is described as being on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Ukrainian forces previously made two drone deliveries of food to the city; the second included nearly 400 packages of food, medicine and children’s kits weighing 4 tonnes in total. Ukrainian and Russian representatives agreed to a temporary cessation of hostilities to support humanitarian assistance and prepare civilian evacuation. Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubskyi also met online with Russian human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova to discuss previously agreed details of the mission. Pope Leo XIV urged Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire for the evacuation of Oleshky residents and subsequently contacted Volodymyr Zelenskyy about safe evacuation. European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno ended a hunger strike she began on October 20 to draw attention to the humanitarian situation in Oleshky.