Topic: Religion
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Ukrainian forces deliver 4 tonnes of food by drone to occupied Oleshky as humanitarian crisis deepens
Ukrainian forces used drones to deliver about 4,000 kg of food to 100 locations in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, one of the largest such operations since systematic drone deliveries across the Dnipro began in March. Head of the Kherson Oblast Military Administration Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian forces shoot down delivery drones, seize or resell the food, and detain and beat residents who receive aid. The situation has been raised at the UN Security Council, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha comparing the blockade to the 1932–1933 Holodomor.
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Council of Europe rights chief calls for ceasefire, evacuation in occupied Oleshky
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty has called for an immediate local ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, and the evacuation of civilians from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Kherson region, where residents face severe hunger, lack of medicine, water, and electricity. No food deliveries have reached the town since late May, and the only road in is mined and monitored by drones. O'Flaherty cited the Fourth Geneva Convention in holding Russia, as the occupying power, responsible for providing for the population.
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Ukrainian citizen attacks Benedictine monastery in Poland, killing at least one priest
A 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen carried out a knife attack on the morning of 24 September at a Benedictine sisters' monastery in Jarosław, in southeastern Poland, killing at least one priest and injuring five other people. The attacker was detained at the scene. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk both responded, with Zelensky calling it a "horrible crime" and Tusk pledging full enforcement of Polish law.
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Ukrainian churches appeal to Pope Leo XIV over humanitarian crisis in occupied Oleshky
The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations has appealed to Pope Leo XIV, the UN, the ICRC and other religious bodies to intervene in what it calls a humanitarian catastrophe in Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. Ukraine says the city has had no food deliveries since late May 2026, with civilians cut off from supplies and prevented from leaving, and announced it will raise the situation at the UN General Assembly High-Level Week.
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Israeli police arrive in Uman to help secure Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage
Israeli police have arrived in Uman, Cherkasy Oblast, to maintain public order alongside Ukrainian law enforcement during the annual Hasidic Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage. Israeli and Ukrainian officers, joined by State Emergency Service rescuers and National Guard troops, are conducting joint patrols and outreach to pilgrims. Police describe the situation in the city as stable and controlled.