Oleshky: The Kremlin’s Potemkin Plan Failed, but Will Its Trojan Horse Succeed?

78~~/100~~

Verdict Mixed Largely reliable. The core facts check out, but the piece has a clear editorial framing and a few minor numerical...

This is a Byline Times feature by Zarina Zabrisky, published on 10 November 2026, about the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky.

✓ 23 checks out ✕ 6 disputed ? 11 unverified

☰ Full analysis The complete summary ⌄

This is a Byline Times feature by Zarina Zabrisky, published on 10 November 2026, about the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky. The main events it describes are confirmed by independent and official sources. There was a humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky from 27 October to 1 November 2026, and Melania Trump was involved in brokering it. Pope Leo XIV called Putin to press for a ceasefire. About 800 civilians were evacuated, some to Ukraine and some to Russia. Four Newsmax journalists accompanied the mission. At a White House event on 5 November, Kirill Dmitriev, whose fund and person have been under US sanctions since 2022, gave Mrs Trump a child's drawing reading 'I love Melania'. Ukraine awarded her the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class. Democrats did well in the 2026 midterms. Ukraine's General Staff said Russia used the truce to reinforce its positions, and Sky News aired drone footage of the build-up. The 34th Marine Brigade's figures (more than 1,000 troops, about 20 km of advance, equipment stored in the hospital, tunnels on 20–30% of the front, assaults falling from about 700 to 150–200 a year) are reported accurately as Ukrainian military claims. However, they come from one side only and no independent source has confirmed them. There are some minor errors. The evacuation figure of 800–900 goes above the only public figure ('nearly 800'). The estimate of about 1,000 people remaining is lower than the latest regional figure of about 1,300. The 2025 boat figures are given as 'boats' rather than 'sorties', and the 2026 figure is presented as a yearly total when the source gave it for the last six months. Calling Oleshky Sands 'the biggest desert in Europe' is disputed. The sentence linking the Tsiurupinsk renaming to the Holodomor could mislead, because Tsiurupa died in 1928, before the famine. The parts about Kremlin intentions ('Potemkin' and 'Trojan horse' operations, scoring points with the Trump administration, propaganda that 'failed to spread internationally') are analysis and opinion, not checkable fact.

What checked out (23)

A humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky ran from 27 October to 1 November 2026. Sources: Ukrainska Pravda via Yahoo (https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/humanitarian-ceasefire-oleshky-enabled-nearly-063200369.html); RFE/RL (https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-oleshky-lubinets-melania-trump-ceasefire/33892549.html).
Melania Trump was involved in mediating the ceasefire. Sources: White House statement of 23 Oct 2026 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/10/first-lady-melania-trump-secures-ceasefire-between-russia-and-ukraine-localized-to-oleshky/); CNN, 30 Oct 2026 (https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/30/world/evacuations-oleshky-melania-trump-ceasefire-intl). Note: CBC reports questions about how central her role really was (https://cbc.ca/news/world/melania-trump-oleshky-ceasefire-meeting-9.7409316).
Pope Leo XIV phoned Putin and called for a ceasefire in Oleshky to allow food deliveries and evacuations. Sources: Vatican News, Oct 2026 (https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-10/pope-leo-xiv-update.html); SCMP (https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3371210/hospital-pope-leo-pushes-putin-ceasefire-contested-ukraine-city). Calling his intervention 'pivotal' is the author's judgement.
Evacuees went to both Ukraine and Russia. Sources: Kyiv Post (https://www.kyivpost.com/post/89591); Euromaidan Press, 10 Nov 2026 (https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/11/10/russia-pressured-oleshky-residents-to-flee-to-russia/).
The ceasefire was the longest since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Sources: RFE/RL, citing Ombudsman Lubinets; Al Jazeera, 1 Nov 2026 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/1/ukrainian-evacuees-from-russian-occupied-oleshky-reunite-with-family).
Russia kept up mass strikes elsewhere in Ukraine during the local truce. Sources: CNBC, 27 Oct 2026 (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/27/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-trump-putin-ceasefire.html); Kyiv Independent, 28 Oct 2026 (https://kyivindependent.com/ceasefire-in-oleshky-enters-30th-hour-as-russian-strikes-kill-2-injure-17-elsewhere-in-ukraine-over-past-day/).
Four Newsmax journalists were brought in to cover the mission. Sources: Melania Trump/FLOTUS on X (https://x.com/FLOTUS/status/2115573734920552876); Hromadske, 29 Oct 2026 (https://hromadske.ua/en/amp/war/273389-melania-trump-says-four-newsmax-journalists-will-cover-humanitarian-mission-in-russian-occupied-oleshky).
Residents and aid workers reported that Russian forces cleaned streets, removed bodies and rubbish, and painted kerbs ahead of the cameras. Sources: Ukrainska Pravda via Yahoo (https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/russians-tidied-streets-removed-bodies-202700254.html); Moscow Times, 6 Nov 2026 (https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/11/06/dont-believe-russias-propaganda-about-the-oleshky-evacuation-a94197).
A White House event took place on 5 November 2026, where Dmitriev gave Melania Trump a child's drawing reading 'I love Melania'. He said the 11-year-old girl had been evacuated to Russia. Sources: Kyiv Post (https://www.kyivpost.com/post/89267); Meduza, 7 Nov 2026 (https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/11/07/melania-trump-receives-ukraine-s-order-of-princess-olha-at-white-house-meeting-on-oleshky-evacuation); White House (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/11/first-lady-melania-trump-unites-russia-and-ukraine-at-the-white-house-following-historic-ceasefire/).
Dmitriev is under US sanctions: both he and RDIF were sanctioned by the US Treasury in February 2022. Sources: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirill_Dmitriev); CNN, 29 Oct 2026, on talks about lifting sanctions on RDIF (https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/29/europe/russia-us-sanctions-investment-fund-intl-hnk).
The 2026 midterms were a strong result for Democrats, who won the House. Sources: CBS News (https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/house-election-results-2026/); CNBC, 4 Nov 2026 (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/04/2026-midterm-election-results-live-updates.html).
Zelensky awarded Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class (Decree No. 1079/2026, 4 Nov 2026), for her 'significant personal contribution to humanitarian support'. Sources: Kyiv Independent (https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-awards-melania-trump-ukraines-order-of-princess-olga-for-humanitarian-work/); Anadolu (https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/zelenskyy-awards-ukraines-order-of-princess-olga-to-us-first-lady-melania-trump/4111317).
Melania Trump passed letters to Zelensky and Putin. Source: LIGA.net (https://news.liga.net/en/politics/news/melania-trump-passes-on-letters-to-zelenskyy-and-putin-arakhamiia-dmitriev-and-ombudsmen-at-the-white-house).
Ukraine's General Staff said Russia used the ceasefire to rotate units, fortify positions and bring in ammunition. Sources: Ukrinform (https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4180373-russia-used-humanitarian-pause-in-oleshky-to-fortify-its-positions-general-staff.html); Reuters via Detroit News, 2 Nov 2026 (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/world/2026/11/02/ukraine-says-russia-used-oleshky-truce-rearm-moscow-assumes-kyiv-did-same/92562963007/).
Sky News aired drone footage of Russian armour, infantry and supplies moving into Oleshky during the ceasefire. Sources: Ukrainska Pravda, 2 Nov 2026 (https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/11/02/8060807/); Kyiv Independent (https://kyivindependent.com/what-russias-military-buildup-during-oleshky-ceasefire-could-mean-for-kherson-oblast/).
Verified as accurately attributed, but these are Ukrainian military claims only. The 34th Marine Brigade says Russia moved in more than 1,000 troops. Yaroslav Moroz says Russian forces moved about 20 km closer to the line of contact, retaking positions lost over the previous six months, and stored equipment and ammunition in Oleshky hospital. Sources: Kyiv Post (https://www.kyivpost.com/post/89373); MOST (https://most.ks.ua/en/news/url/pid-chas-rezhimu-tishi-v-oleshkah-rosija-zavezla-na-livoberezhzhja-hersonschini-ponad-tisjachu-vijskovih-morpihi/).
Verified as attributed. Alim Kerimov says tunnelling covers 20–30% of the left-bank front, Russian assaults fell from about 700 in 2025 to 150–200 a year, and Ukrainian marines have advanced into a settlement on the left bank. Sources: Euromaidan Press, 7 Nov 2026 (https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/11/07/tunnels-and-hybrid-attacks-russia-digs-in-under-ukraine-controlled-skies-across-20-30-of-khersons-occupied-bank-marine-officer-says/); MOST (https://most.ks.ua/en/news/url/ukrajinski-morpihi-prosuvajutsja-na-livoberezhzhi-hersonschini-ta-ostrivnih-diljankah-nachalnik-shtabu-brigadi/); 112.ua (https://112.ua/en/polkovnik-kerimov-pro-prosuvanna-34-i-brigadi-morskoi-pihoti-zsu-na-livomu-berezi-hersonsini-196860).
A Russian drone hit a medical facility in central Kherson on 2 November, after the ceasefire ended. Sources: Ukrainska Pravda (https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/11/02/8060821/); Kyiv Post (https://www.kyivpost.com/post/88918).
Oleshky was under a drone-and-mine siege with severe food shortages from about winter 2025–26. Sources: Wikipedia's 'Blockade of Oleshky' article dates the food crisis from December 2025 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_of_Oleshky); UNITED24 says 'winter 2026' (https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/russians-are-starving-ukrainians-what-is-happening-in-occupied-oleshky-22908); Euronews, 28 Sep 2026 (https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/28/ukraines-city-of-oleshky-faces-starvation-as-russia-blocks-all-aid).
History: Oleshia first appears in the Primary Chronicle in 1084, and the Oleshky Sich existed from 1711 to 1728. Sources: Encyclopedia of Ukraine (https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages\O\L\OleshkySich.htm); Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleshky_Sich).
The town was renamed Tsiurupinsk in 1928, after Alexander Tsiurupa. Sources: Yad Vashem (https://collections.yadvashem.org/en/untold-stories/community/14621836-Tsyurupinsk); Encyclopedia of Ukraine (https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages\O\L\Oleshky.htm).
Several hundred Jews (about 800) from Oleshky and the surrounding area were murdered in late September or early October 1941. Source: Encyclopedia of Ukraine (same URL as above).
Polina Raiko's house-museum was nearly destroyed by the flood after the Kakhovka dam was destroyed in June 2023. Sources: Ukrainska Pravda, 16 Jun 2023 (https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/06/16/7407170/); Apollo Magazine (https://apollo-magazine.com/art-news-ukraine-dam-collapse-polina-rayko-house/).

✕ Disputed claims 6 claims ⌄

Imprecise, not false: 'about 800–900 Ukrainian civilians were evacuated'. The only public figure is Melania Trump's 'nearly 800', and Kyiv and Moscow withheld their own figures (Kyiv Independent: https://kyivindependent.com/nearly-800-people-evacuated-from-oleshky-melania-trump-says-as-kyiv-moscow-withhold-figures/). Some outlets say 'more than 750'. Nothing supports the upper figure of 900.
Imprecise, not false: 'Approximately 1,000 civilians remained'. Kyiv Post reported 'possibly as many as 1,000' (https://www.kyivpost.com/post/89227), but Kherson regional head Prokudin later said about 1,300 remain (MOST: https://most.ks.ua/en/news/url/prokudin-nazvav-kilkist-ljudej-jaki-zalishilis-v-oleshkah; Kyiv Post: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/89738).
Minor misreport: 'boat-based operations involving approximately 200 boats' in 2025 and '22 boat-based sorties' in 2026. The source (Kerimov via Euromaidan Press) says up to 200 boat sorties last year and about 22 in the last six months. The article swaps sorties for boats and turns a six-month figure into an annual one.
Minor imprecision: tunnels 'usually 50–150 m'. MOST quotes Kerimov as saying roughly 50–60 m. 150 m is the upper end reported by Euromaidan Press, not the usual length.
Disputed superlative: 'The biggest desert in Europe, Oleshky Sands'. Several sources call it the second-largest, or one of the largest, sand areas in Europe (e.g. https://wownature.in.ua/en/parks-and-reserves/oleshky-sands-national-nature-park/; https://www.over-view.com/overviews/oleshky-sands). This is not rated False, because the sources disagree and none is authoritative.
Potentially misleading, not false: the sentence linking the renaming after 'a Bolshevik official responsible for starvation' to 'Stalin's Holodomor'. Tsiurupa died in May 1928 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Tsiurupa), before the 1932–33 famine, so readers could wrongly infer he was responsible for the Holodomor. Also, 'fleeing the Russian Empire' in 1711 is slightly anachronistic, since the Empire was formally proclaimed in 1721.

? Unverified claims 11 claims ⌄

'In August 2026, the Prydniprovskyi sector saw the record 26,000 Russian drone attacks' (attributed to the 30th Marine Corps): no independent source found.
'Several rounds of negotiations failed as the Kremlin would not allow evacuations': no specific source found.
'In September 2026, the public outrage became too strong for the Russian Government to keep ignoring': this explains motive and can't be checked. Media coverage of the crisis did grow in September (Euronews, 28 Sep 2026).
Kremlin intentions ('mnogokhodovochka', a propaganda tour to whitewash war crimes, scoring points with the Trump administration before the midterms): this is the author's interpretation and can't be checked.
'By the time the Russian propagandists' reports were released… the false narratives failed to spread internationally': an outcome judgement with no measurable evidence behind it.
'At the first US interaction with Russia after the elections': not confirmed.
Russian drone launch sites 5–15 km inside the occupied left bank; Ukrainian commanders expecting assaults once the weather suits drone operations: these come from one Ukrainian military source with no independent corroboration.
A list of brought-in assets (watercraft, EW systems, supplies for several months) and 'several hundred infantrymen awaiting orders': partly echoed by Censor.net and MOST, but only from Ukrainian military sources.
A strike on a 'maternity hospital' in Kherson after 1 November: a strike on a medical facility is confirmed, but no source found specifically describing a maternity hospital.
Oleshky's pine forests are burning and Oleshky Sands is inaccessible: low priority, not researched.
The Kakhovka dam destruction is attributed to Russia without qualification. This matches what Ukrainian and many international outlets report, but attribution was not researched separately for this check.

⌕ Sources & how we checked Search journal, source grades, confidence ⌄

Confidence

Medium-High — Every high-priority claim about the diplomacy, the timeline and the people involved was cross-checked against several reputable sources dated October–November 2026, including official White House and Vatican material. Confidence is lower for the article's military claims. These come only from Ukrainian forces, a party to the conflict, and are listed as 'verified as attributed' rather than independently confirmed. The checks relied on search-result extracts, not full articles, and the article's own embedded links were not available to review.

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Oleshky humanitarian ceasefire Melania Trump evacuation

Oleshky ceasefire Russia troops reinforced 34th Marine Brigade

Dmitriev Melania Trump drawing White House Oleshky

Melania Trump Order of Princess Olga Ukraine award

Oleshky Newsmax journalists tour

Pope Leo Oleshky evacuation Putin

Oleshky drone siege starvation civilians

Byline Times Oleshky Potemkin Trojan Horse

https://bylinetimes.com/2026/11/10/oleshky-the-kremlins-potemkin-plan-failed-but-will-its-trojan-horse-succeed/

2026 midterm elections results Democrats House

Kirill Dmitriev US sanctions Treasury RDIF

Alim Kerimov tunnels Kherson Russian troops

Sky News Oleshky ceasefire footage Russian troops

Prydniprovskyi 26,000 drone attacks August

https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/09/06/ukraines-drone-forces-say-they-hit-58465-russian-targets-in-august-n...

Oleshky residents cleaning streets corpses before journalists

Kherson maternity hospital drone strike November 2026

Oleshky remaining residents after evacuation 1,000

Oleshky ceasefire longest since full-scale invasion

Oleshky history Oleshshia 1084 chronicle Oleshky Sich 1711

Tsiurupinsk renamed 1928 Tsiurupa

Oleshky Jews shot 1941 Holocaust Tsiurupinsk

https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages\O\L\Oleshky.htm

Polina Raiko house flood Kakhovka dam

Ukraine General Staff Oleshky ceasefire Russia reinforced positions

Oleshky evacuees Russia Ukraine how many went to Russia

Russia Kherson direction assaults 2025 700 boats Kerimov

https://112.ua/en/polkovnik-kerimov-pro-prosuvanna-34-i-brigadi-morskoi-pihoti-zsu-na-livomu-berezi-hersons...

Oleshky Sands largest desert in Europe

Russia massive missile drone attack Ukraine during Oleshky ceasefire October 2026

Moskalkova Oleshky evacuated number

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≡ The article we checked Full text as retrieved ⌄

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Byline Times

Oleshky: The Kremlin's Potemkin Plan Failed, but Will Its Trojan Horse Succeed?

12 min

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## The Drone Siege and Ceasefire

After Ukrainian forces [liberated]( Kherson on 11 November 2022, Russian troops retreated across the Dnipro River to the occupied left bank, from where they continued attacking Kherson. Russian forces [used]( Ukrainian civilians in Oleshky and surrounding villages as human shields to protect their military positions from attack by Ukrainian forces, holding them hostage. From December 2025, they started using a new tactic: [a drone siege]( By mining and controlling all access roads by drones, they prevented evacuation and cut off access to food, water and medicine. By March 2026, the situation had [deteriorated]( dramatically.

Several rounds of negotiations failed as the Kremlin would not allow evacuations. In September 2026, the [public outrage]( became too strong for the Russian Government to keep ignoring the situation. Pope Leo XIV’s intervention and contact with Putin was a pivotal point.

From 27 October to 1 November, a humanitarian [ceasefire]( took place following mediation [involving]( Melania Trump. Some food and medical supplies were delivered and about 800-900 Ukrainian civilians were evacuated to Ukraine and Russia. Approximately 1,000 civilians [remained]( in the Oleshky community where the humanitarian crisis remained unresolved.

* * *

## The Potemkin Village Operation

Moscow used the ceasefire to its advantage as the Russian evacuation plan had two major components, forming what Russians call a _mnogokhodovochka_, a multistep operation.

The Kremlin intended to use [a propaganda tour]( to repair its image by whitewashing Russian war crimes and shifting responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe onto Ukraine.

Additionally, the ceasefire was planned to earn the Kremlin points with the Trump administration. Melania Trump as a negotiator provided the White House with a diplomatic success story shortly before the US midterm elections.

The Oleshky ceasefire turned out to be the longest since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022; in the US, the audience easily took the local ceasefire in the Kherson region for a major cessation of combat action. In reality, the Russian forces continued mass attacks on the rest of Ukraine.

Russia brought four American journalists from the staunchly pro-Trump [Newsmax agency]( along with Russian state and military-linked media into the occupied area, with the occupational authorities controlling access to the town.

Yet, due to the early disclosure, independent reporting and coordinated public scrutiny, the Kremlin info and psy-op failed. Residents managed to [report]( that Russians were cleaning streets, removing garbage and corpses, painting public spaces and preparing the town for cameras, thus exposing the staged tour preparations.

By the time the Russian propagandists’ reports were released, the world was already prepared and the false narratives failed to spread internationally.

The last act of the propaganda spectacle [took place]( in the White House on 5 November, after the US midterms proved to be a triumph for Democrats.

At the first US interaction with Russia after the elections, Putin’s [US-sanctioned]( envoy Kirill Dmitriev handed a white-clad Melania Trump a child’s drawing with the inscription “I Love Melania”. The child was allegedly evacuated to Russia.

The Ukrainian side awarded Mrs Trump the highest state honour for women for her “significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine”. Melania Trump, in return, sent letters to Putin and Zelenskyy.

* * *

## The Trojan Horse Operation

White suits notwithstanding, Russia predictably used the humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky to deploy over 1,000 troops, according to the 34th Separate Marine Brigade “Borysfen”. As documented by Sky News [footage]( and [reported]( by Ukraine’s General Staff, Moscow reinforced its military positions.

Several hundred Russian infantrymen have arrived in local settlements and are awaiting orders to attack. Russian forces also brought in artillery, weapons, UAVs, watercraft, electronic warfare (EW) systems and experts, drone operators, communications personnel and reconnaissance units, fuel, food and other supplies sufficient for several months. According to Ukrainian military sources, Russian forces have moved equipment and ammunition into Oleshky hospital, exploiting its continued use to treat civilians and the expectation that Ukrainian forces will not strike it.

Before the ceasefire, Ukrainian forces had expanded their zone of control in the occupied territories of the Kherson region on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, pushing Russian troops back and disrupting their logistics.

[According to]( Yaroslav Moroz, head of the Unmanned Systems Unit of the 34th Marine Brigade, Russian forces used the ceasefire to return to positions from which Ukrainian troops had pushed them out over the previous six months, advancing approximately 20 kilometers closer to the line of contact. Russian troops have now established numerous drone launch and landing sites, increasing the threat to Kherson.

As of early November, Ukrainian Marines had not observed large-scale Russian assaults. Ukrainian troops repelled all isolated attempts to advance and neutralised the Russian personnel involved. They continued holding positions on the islands in the Dnipro River and the occupied left bank of the Kherson region and have advanced deeper into Russian-occupied territory and established a presence in a settlement on the left bank. Ukrainian commanders expect Russian assault operations to begin when weather conditions are conducive for drone operations.

[According to]( the 34th Marine Brigade, Russian drone launch sites are located 5–15 kilometers inside the occupied left bank of the Kherson region. Since Ukrainian Marines prevented Russian troops from reaching some positions on foot and disrupted Russian logistics, the Russians started digging trenches and underground tunnels. Tunnelling occurs along approximately 20–30% of the eastern bank frontline, and they are usually short, only 50–150 meters long. [According to]( Alim Kerimov, chief of staff of the 34th Separate Marine Brigade, Russian troops have achieved limited success with tunnels, but Ukrainian forces generally destroy them upon detection.

Russian forces have [shifted]( toward positional and hybrid warfare, combining aerial and artillery strikes, FPV drone attacks and attacks on civilians.

In 2025, Russian forces conducted up to 700 assault sorties, alongside boat-based operations involving approximately 200 boats.

In 2026, Russian assault activity declined to approximately 150–200 sorties per year, with approximately 22 boat-based sorties.

In August 2026, the Prydniprovskyi sector saw the record 26,000 Russian drone attacks, according to the 30th Marine Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Since the ceasefire ended on 1 November, Russian drones have struck medical facilities, a maternity hospital, multiple administrative and residential buildings and civilian vehicles in Kherson.

* * *

## Oleshky: A Microcosm of Ukraine

Oleshky has lived through starvation, sieges and mass murder before. The medieval settlement of [Oleshshia]( appears in chronicles in 1084, associated with trade routes connecting Kyivan Rus to Byzantium. Cossacks, fleeing the Russian Empire, established the [Oleshky Sich]( in 1711.

The Bolsheviks renamed it to [Tsiurupinsk]( in 1920s, after a Bolshevik official responsible for starvation: during Stalin’s Holodomor, Soviet authorities confiscated grain and other food supplies and prevented starving peasants from fleeing Ukraine.

During World War II, the town was occupied by the Nazis who executed hundreds of Jews in October 1941.

Since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion and occupation, the nature and culture of the Oleshky community are being destroyed. In the aftermath of the Russian destruction of the [Nova Kakhovka Dam]( the floodwaters devastated a big part of town. The exact number of victims is still unknown. The famous painted house of Polina Raiko, a pride and joy of Oleshky, was nearly destroyed by the flood. Oleshky’s pine forests are burning. The biggest desert in Europe, Oleshky Sands, is inaccessible.

Little-known until recently, Oleshky is a microcosm of Russia’s war against Ukraine, with nearly every layer of the country’s history compressed into one small town: pre-Russian existence, Cossack heritage, imperial conquest, historical erasure, Holodomor, Holocaust, Soviet repression, Russian military occupation, ecocide, drone warfare, starvation, propaganda, and, most recently, international diplomacy involving no less than the White House.

Four years after the liberation of Kherson, Oleshky remains occupied, its civilians trapped and its territory used to launch attacks on the liberated city across the river. While the Kremlin’s Potemkin village failed to deceive the world, its Trojan horse plan brought Russian troops and weapons closer to Kherson. Will it define the next chapter in the two cities’ history?

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