For frontline workers like Oleg Kemin from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), this means traveling deep into disputed areas along the 1,000-kilometre contact line between Ukraine and Russia, where attack drones pose a deadly threat.
In an exclusive interview with UN News, Oleg discusses his role as a security officer and the challenges in delivering food aid to vulnerable communities.
Even away from the front, respite is rare, with cities, including Kyiv, suffering repeated shelling and power outages, as was the case before our conversation.
His interview with Daniel Johnson has been edited for clarity and brevity:
Oleg Kemin: “Each night with shelling attacks is difficult; Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is targeted, leading to potential blackouts nationwide. These attacks also bring new victims, increasing tensions.
People spending sleepless nights in shelters can’t be as productive. As a Security Operations Officer for the UN, I monitor air raid alerts to keep staff safe and informed.
UN News: How do you cope with constant attack threats?
Oleg Kemin: Next month marks four years since the war began. I still vividly remember the first attacks and air raid alerts. You don’t get used to it, especially seeing the damage and destruction, but people adapt.
Sometimes, when tired, you might not hear the alert on your phone or in the street. Other times, you wake up to explosions and it’s too late to move to a shelter.
You develop mechanisms not just to cope, but to understand situations and follow emergency procedures, like assessing needs after an attack.
Nationwide, energy and water company workers strive to maintain normalcy and restore power quickly, especially in the capital. But some places, like parts of Kyiv, go without electricity for extended periods.
UN News: Where are needs greatest in Ukraine today?
Oleg Kemin: Vulnerable communities are in places like Pokrovsk, Kupyansk, Konstantynivka, and Dobropillya. As the frontlines shift, life fades from these cities. Initially bustling, over time, shops close, buildings are damaged, and streets empty.
On final missions, you see empty cities and people with nowhere else to go.
UN News: How are aid teams protecting themselves from drone attacks?
Oleg Kemin: In frontline areas, first-person view drones are common. They’re small and controlled by operators. When our humanitarian convoys head to these zones, we use the Humanitarian Notification Systems (HNS) to inform both conflict sides of our GPS coordinates for safe passage.
This only applies to UN vehicles; civilian and military convoy vehicles remain vulnerable. To deter drones, Ukrainian forces create net corridors along roads. Drones can’t penetrate the nets, offering some protection, though it’s a last resort. In these corridors, you feel safer with some protection.
Wars evolve, with new ways to bypass nets or exploit gaps, especially when strong winds damage them. This poses additional risks if nets ensnare vehicle wheels.
A WFP vehicle passes under drone-protection nets in Kherson, Ukraine.
UN News: What can you tell us about the people who need WFP’s help?
Oleg Kemin: Last summer, we visited remote communities in Kharkiv near the Russian border. Some villages are now unreachable due to active combat but people still live there.
In one village, an elderly woman explained she couldn’t leave because her family’s graves are there. ‘Here is the tomb of my husband, of my kids, I have nowhere else to go; the only thing I can do is to look after their tombs.’
In such communities, trucks can’t reach them, so we used armoured vehicles filled with food kits. We literally drove through the mud.
Our partners’ vehicles got stuck, needing towing. People lived just 4.5 kilometres from the Russian border, with heavy drone activity. We sometimes bring double food kits, uncertain of future access.
UN News: What more can you tell us about the Ukrainian communities you’ve reached?
Oleg Kemin: Many are elderly, pensioners. They say, ‘It’s our land, it’s the house in which I grew up, it’s a house built by great-grandparents; it’s my land and I don’t want to leave!’
Some tried moving to Europe or western Ukraine but returned due to lack of work and income. People with disabilities also struggle to relocate.
The State offers evacuation and assistance, but many plan to stay. We help in frontline communities where shops are closed and food is scarce. Further away, cash-based aid allows them to supplement their food basket.
A UN vehicle passes through a destroyed town in Ukraine.
UN News: Another key part of WFP’s mission is making farmland safe again so that Ukrainians can work their land. What more can you tell us?
Oleg Kemin: We’re involved in mine-clearing work. Ukraine, a significant agricultural country, has 25
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