Residents relayed by a journalist say people have starved in Oleshky, but deny reports of eating dogs and rats

What is reported. Espreso carries journalist Baturin relaying residents who left Oleshky this year. Friends still inside told them: "Є вже випадки голодної смерті" — people have already died of hunger. They said people pick purslane in their gardens, boil it and eat it.

What those residents did not confirm. Media had reported, citing local officials, that people were eating dogs. Asked about this, the residents said they had not heard of it. They also did not confirm other locals' accounts of people eating rats. Baturin warned that conditions may differ from one part of the town to another.

How the outlets carry it.

Outlet	Leads with	Attributed to
Ukrinform	Starvation deaths, stated flat in the text	A journalist, named only in the headline
Ukrainska Pravda	People "eating grass", in the headline	Foreign Minister Sybiha, "reportedly"
Ukrinform	"Russia bears full responsibility"	Foreign Minister Sybiha
Espreso	Deaths, purslane, and what residents did not confirm	Baturin, relaying residents
The Insider	"Морг переполнен еще с лета" — the morgue full since summer	No source named in the headline

Who is calling for what. Sybiha, in Ukrinform, calls for immediate safe evacuation. The Insider reports the Council of Europe calling for a local ceasefire.

What is not settled. No report gives a death toll or a name. No report comes from inside the town. We hold only The Insider's headline, not its text. We hold no account from Russia or the occupation authorities.

What this is about. Hunger in Oleshky, a Ukrainian town in Kherson region held by Russian forces, and whether help can reach the people still living there.

How it got here. Russia has fought Ukraine since 2014. It launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and its forces took most of Kherson region in the first days. In November 2022 Ukraine retook the city of Kherson, on the west bank of the Dnipro river. Russian forces pulled back to the east bank. Oleshky, just across the river from Kherson, stayed under occupation and became part of the front line. In June 2023 the Kakhovka dam upstream was destroyed and the east bank flooded, Oleshky with it. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the dam. Since then the river has divided the two armies.

Who is involved. Russia controls the town through an occupation administration. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupying power must make sure the population has food and medicine. Espreso reports that the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, Michael O'Flaherty, reminded Russia of that duty on 25 September. Ukraine counts the town as its own territory and is asking international organisations to get aid in and people out. The Council of Europe is the continent's human rights body; it expelled Russia in March 2022. Espreso reports that churches and volunteers have appealed to the Pope, UN member states and the Red Cross.

What is at stake. Whether food reaches the town, or its people can leave it. Espreso, citing the Council of Churches, says food was last brought in at the end of May 2026. A volunteer quoted by Espreso said on 11 September that the town had been under full blockade for four months.

Where it stands. Ukraine's foreign minister is calling for evacuation, and the Council of Europe for a local ceasefire. No outlet we hold can reach the town, and no report we hold carries a Russian response.

What is being argued about

Whether anyone has starved to death, and who says so
Why the residents who report deaths do not confirm accounts of eating dogs and rats
Headlines that state what the text below them hedges
Evacuation and a local ceasefire as the demands on Russia

One town, four claims: who carries whichSide by side

Claim	Who carries it	Source given	Status in the reports
People have starved to death	Espreso, Ukrinform	Residents relayed through journalist Baturin	No number, no names
People are eating grass or weeds	Ukrainska Pravda, Espreso	Sybiha ("reportedly"); residents describe boiling purslane	Second-hand
People are eating dogs and rats	Espreso, recounting earlier media reports	Local officials and other residents	The residents Baturin spoke to did not confirm it
The morgue has been full since summer	The Insider	No source named in the headline	We hold only the headline

Every account is second-hand. No report comes from inside Oleshky.

Sources U Ukrinform E Espreso TV U Ukrainska Pravda T The Insider

From the last food delivery to today's reportsTimeline

late May 2026— no time published Council of Churches, via Espreso Food last brought into the townEspreso
2026-09-11— no time published Volunteer Natalia Sobolieva, via Espreso Says there is real hunger; the town is in its fourth month of full blockadeEspreso
2026-09-20— no time published Council of Churches Appeals to Pope Leo XIV, UN states and the Red Cross to save residents from starvationEspreso
2026-09-25— no time published Michael O'Flaherty, Council of Europe Warns of a rapidly worsening crisis; says Russia as occupier must provide food and medicineEspreso
2026-09-2610:14 UTC published time The Insider Council of Europe calls for a local ceasefire; "the morgue has been full since summer"The Insider
2026-09-2612:56 UTC published time Ukrainska Pravda Sybiha: civilians reportedly forced to eat grassUkrainska Pravda
2026-09-2612:59 UTC published time Ukrinform Sybiha: Russia bears full responsibility; calls for safe evacuationUkrinform
2026-09-2613:06 UTC published time Espreso Baturin relays residents: starvation deaths, but no confirmation of eating dogs or ratsEspreso
2026-09-2613:37 UTC published time Ukrinform Reports cases of people starving to death, citing a journalistUkrinform

Dates before 26 September are as Espreso reports them.

Sources E Espreso TV T The Insider U Ukrainska Pravda U Ukrinform U Ukrinform

Claims and verdicts

unverified People have starved to death in occupied Oleshky.

Ukrinform and Espreso both carry one account: journalist Baturin relaying what departed residents heard from acquaintances still in the city. No report we holds independent or first-hand confirmation from inside the city.

Checked against 2 sources:

U Ukrinform E Espreso TV

disputed Residents of Oleshky are eating dogs and rats because of hunger.

Espreso says media had carried this, citing local officials and other residents. The residents Baturin spoke to said they had not heard of it, though he noted conditions may vary across the city.

Checked against 1 source:

E Espreso TV

unverified Hunger in Oleshky has forced people to eat grass and weeds to survive.

Ukrainska Pravda reports Foreign Minister Sybiha saying civilians are reportedly eating grass, and in Espreso residents relayed through Baturin describe boiling purslane. Both accounts are second-hand from a blockaded city, and we cannot tell whether they are independent of each other.

Checked against 3 sources:

U Ukrainska Pravda U Ukrainska Pravda E Espreso TV

Who wrote it

М Марія Дроб'язко Espreso TV

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Actor named Russia is named as the actor in the shift to combat use.×1

Anonymous sourcing The whole account rests on diplomats who are not named×1

Are the hurt counted the dead are neither counted nor named; the injured are 'dozens'×1

A second, unreconciled figure a different amount appears at the end, and no report explains how it relates to the first×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 misleading6 disputed24 unverified11 true

From 483 reports we hold under this byline, at Espreso TV. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

Р Роман Петренко Ukrainska Pravda

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Attribution inside the sentence the figure of 21,000 by noon is sourced by name in the only report that sources it×1

Hedged claim adds 'allegedly' to the cyberattack claim×1

How hard the claim is stated the report adds 'allegedly' (нібито) in its own voice×1

Quotation marks as judgement the vote and the Transnistrian leader are both placed in quotation marks; Moldova's objection is not×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

5 unverified1 true

From 161 reports we hold under this byline, at Ukrainska Pravda. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

R Roman Petrenko Ukrainska Pravda

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Asserted or attributed attribution inside the sentence, before the claim×1

Assertion vs attribution The same figure is stated flat as 'neutralised', with no attribution and no word on what it counts×1

Assertion vs attribution The loss figure is stated flat, not attributed in the sentence, and 'neutralised' leaves open what it counts×1

Attribution verb 'has claimed' rather than 'said'×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 misleading1 disputed6 unverified1 true

From 129 reports we hold under this byline, at Ukrainska Pravda. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting. · 3 reports we hold carry no byline — we do not invent one.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

U Ukrinform — state-controlled

Cases of people starving to death reported in occupied Oleshky — journalist

States starvation deaths flat in its text; the journalist is named only in the headline.

Cases of people starving to death reported in occupied Oleshky — journalist 26.09.2026 16:37 Ukrinform There have been cases of people starving to death in the occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region. Journalist Oleh Baturin wrote this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports. The journalist said he had spoken with residents of Oleshky who were among the last people to leave the blockaded city this year. Their acquaintances who remain in the city and with whom they are still in contact said that "things are getting worse and worse in Oleshky." "There are already cases of people starving to death. The

Asserted vs attributed: The body states starvation deaths flat; the attribution to a journalist sits only in the headline — “There have been cases of people starving to death in the occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region.”

Assertion vs attribution: starvation deaths stated flat in the body, with no source inside the sentence — “There have been cases of people starving to death in the occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region.”

Read it at Ukrinform → https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society/4168315-cases-of-people-starvi…

E Espreso TV —

"В Олешках стає все гірше. Є вже випадки голодної смерті": журналіст Батурін про ситуацію в окупованому місті

The only report with residents' own words, relayed through Baturin: deaths, boiled purslane, and a refusal to confirm the dogs-and-rats accounts.

Про це він повідомив у Facebook.Батурін поспілкувався з мешканцями Олешок, які одними з останніх цього року виїхали з міста. Вони досі підтримують зв'язок зі знайомими, що залишилися в окупації, і днями ті розповіли їм, як зараз живе місто."В Олешках стає все гірше. Є вже випадки голодної смерті. Базару, на якому чогось купити майже неможливо, лише виміняти, теж майже немає. Люди рвуть портулак на городі, варять його і їдять. Ми майже весь час сидимо в хаті, боїмося навіть вийти на вулицю. Зв'язок дуже поганий, але іноді пробивається", — передали знайомі з міста.Журналіст також запитав співроз

Sourcing: Carries residents' own words, relayed second-hand through people who left — “Люди рвуть портулак на городі, варять його і їдять.”

What is not confirmed: The only report to say residents did not confirm earlier accounts of eating dogs and rats — “Цього вони не підтвердили, сказавши, що про собак не чули.”

Hedge: carries residents who did not confirm the earlier accounts of eating dogs — “Цього вони не підтвердили, сказавши, що про собак не чули.”

Harm counted: deaths reported without a number or a name — “Є вже випадки голодної смерті”

Read it at Espreso TV → https://espreso.tv/suspilstvo-v-oleshkakh-stae-vse-girshe-e-vzhe-vipadk…

U Ukrinform — state-controlled

Sybiha reports hunger in Oleshky and calls for immediate safe evacuation

Sybiha puts "full responsibility" on Russia and calls for immediate safe evacuation.

Sybiha reports hunger in Oleshky and calls for immediate safe evacuation 26.09.2026 15:59 Ukrinform Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha emphasized that Russia's illegal occupation has caused a catastrophe in the city of Oleshky in Kherson region and that Russia bears full responsibility for it. According to Ukrinform, he wrote this on the social network X. "People in temporarily occupied Oleshky are starving. There is almost nothing left to eat," Sybiha stressed. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that, according to reports, civilians in the city are being forced to survive by eating grass and wee

Responsibility: Assigns blame to Russia, attributed to Ukraine's foreign minister — “Russia bears full responsibility for it”

Assertion vs attribution: the blame is attributed to the foreign minister — “Russia bears full responsibility for it”

Read it at Ukrinform → https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/4168310-sybiha-reports-hunger…

U Ukrainska Pravda — independent

Україна б'є на сполох через ситуацію в Олешках, де люди від голоду їдять траву

Adds Sybiha's call for international organisations to secure humanitarian access and evacuation.

Міністр закордонних справ Андрій Сибіга заявив про критичну гуманітарну ситуацію в окупованих Олешках на Херсонщині та закликав міжнародні організації домогтися гуманітарного доступу й евакуації мешканців. Джерело: Сибіга у соцмережах Деталі: За словами міністра, в Олешках майже не залишилося їжі, а за наявними повідомленнями, частина цивільних змушена виживати, харчуючись травою та бур'янами. Також дедалі менш доступними стають ліки, чиста вода, електрика та медична допомога. У таких умовах перебувають і діти. Сибіга закликав ООН, Міжнародний комітет Червоного Хреста та інших міжнародних грав

Read it at Ukrainska Pravda → https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2026/09/26/8055161/

U Ukrainska Pravda — independent

Ukraine sounds alarm over situation in Oleshky, where people are eating grass due to hunger

The headline says people are eating grass; the text hedges it as "reportedly" and attributes it to Sybiha.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said the humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast is critical and called on international organisations to secure humanitarian access and the evacuation of residents. Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter) Details: Sybiha said there is almost no food left in Oleshky, and reports indicate that some civilians are being forced to survive by eating grass and weeds. Medicines, clean water, electricity and medical care are also becoming increasingly difficult to access. Children are among those living in these conditions. Th

How hard the claim is stated: Headline states grass-eating flat; the body hedges it with 'reportedly' — “with civilians reportedly forced to eat grass to survive”

Headline body gap: headline states grass-eating flat; the body hedges it with 'reportedly' — “Ukraine sounds alarm over situation in Oleshky, where people are eating grass due to hunger”

Hedge: the body hedges the same claim the headline states — “with civilians reportedly forced to eat grass to survive”

Read it at Ukrainska Pravda → https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/09/26/8055161/

T The Insider — exile

«Морг переполнен еще с лета». Совет Европы призвал к локальному перемирию в оккупированных Олешках, где люди голодают

The only report to carry the Council of Europe's call for a local ceasefire, and a quote that the morgue has been full since summer.

Комиссар Совета Европы по правам человека Майкл О’Флаэрти призвал немедленно прекратить огонь в оккупированных Олешках Херсонской области, открыть гуманитарным организациям беспрепятственный доступ в город и обеспечить безопасную эвакуацию мирных жителей. По его словам, гуманитарный кризис в Олешках стремительно усугубляется, а гражданские, в том числе дети, оказались в ловушке без достаточного количества еды, лекарств, медицинской помощи, водопровода и электричества. О’Флаэрти добавил, что, согласно поступающим сведениям, людям грозит высокий риск гибели. Комиссар напомнил, что по нормам межд

Headline claim: The headline leads with an unattributed quotation about the morgue — “«Морг переполнен еще с лета»”

Read it at The Insider → https://theins.ru/news/297559

Checked, didn’t cover

M Meduza R RIA Novosti T The Moscow Times S Suspilne I Interfax M Mediazona N Novaya Gazeta Europe T TASS

Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story and carried nothing on this event.

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Residents relayed by a journalist say people have starved in Oleshky, but deny reports of eating dogs and rats

What is being argued about

Deaths reported, none counted

Claims and verdicts

Who wrote it

Coverage, outlet by outlet