Among the many challenges faced by humanitarian response in hromadas, the security factor often becomes decisive. The experience of the local coordination mechanism Link, which operates in 24 hromadas retaken by Ukraine in the South, clearly demonstrates this: the relatively stable situation in Mykolaivska Oblast allows for full-scale work, whereas the deterioration of security in hromadas of Khersonska Oblast complicates all processes. The mechanism is implemented by the Legal Development Network in cooperation with the Czech Organization “People in Need” and funded by the Government of the United Kingdom.
Khersonska Oblast: Increase in Shelling and Mine Threats
According to the “Quarterly Humanitarian Access Overview,” there has been an increase in shelling in the right-bank territory of Khersonska Oblast. The security situation has worsened the most in Khersonskyi and Beryslavskyi Districts.
Drones, which have started reaching much further than before, pose a danger to civilians, explains Humanitarian Response Team Coordinator in Khersonska Oblast Oleksandr Honchar (Kherson city). He notes the deterioration of the security situation since November 2024.
“The enemy has started actively using drones against the right bank of Khersonska Oblast. All communities located in the coastal zone, including the city of Kherson, are under heavy shelling,” says Oleksandr.
In addition to drones, a great danger for Kherson residents living near the Dnipro River are anti-personnel “petal” mines.
“Overnight the enemy scatters ‘petals’ across the coastal districts, and in the morning people sometimes cannot even leave their homes. They have to call the military to clear the mines,” explains Oleksandr Honchar.
Humanitarian Response Team Coordinator in Khersonska Oblast Yuliia Stadnyk (Zelenodolsk city, Dnipropetrovska Oblast) adds that the deterioration of the security situation is also very noticeable in communities located on the banks of the former Kakhovka Reservoir.
“In approximately half of our communities, most of the settlements are located in the coastal zone, where shelling is constant. When we started working it was also dangerous, but now the situation has worsened: drones and artillery have started reaching those settlements that were previously considered conditionally safe and where we could travel. For example, Novovorontsovska, Novoraiska, and Novooleksandrivska Hromadas. Now, instead of two or three settlements being accessible as half a year ago, there may be only one settlement for the entire community,” says Yuliia.
Curtailment of Humanitarian Organizations’ Activities in the Coastal Areas of Khersonska Oblast
Due to the growing danger, more and more settlements remain without the support of international and national organizations, since their staff cannot travel there because of the high risk to life.
“Many organizations are leaving Khersonska Oblast — since February 2025, four organizations have withdrawn. Due to internal security regulations, they cannot work with communities located within a 30-kilometre zone from the front line,” says Yuliia Stadnyk.
Often, organizations are prohibited not only from travelling to such settlements but also from including them in their program activities.
In the center: Project Manager of the Legal Development Network, Humanitarian Response Component Coordinator of Link, Viktor Alkhimov
“After the incidents that resulted in the deaths of international staff, security restrictions have become stricter,” explains Project Manager of the Legal Development Network and Humanitarian Response Component Coordinator of Link, Viktor Alkhimov.
As a result, assistance is concentrated in conditionally safer hromadas. This is also one of the factors contributing to the decrease in the number of organizations operating in the region — they are curtailing their activities to avoid duplication of efforts.
Hromadas Under Shelling: Approaches to Delivering Aid
Thus, for hromadas located in the coastal areas and experiencing a significant deterioration in the security and humanitarian situation, receiving aid is now extremely difficult. Due to shelling, it is challenging to deliver even basic necessities to such settlements: food, water, and medicine.
If humanitarian cargo is delivered, it usually goes to a single settlement, or even to a neighboring hromada. From there, community elders distribute it on their own, which presents an additional challenge due to the condition of the roads and the very limited number of vehicles.
“One example is Novovorontsovska Hromada of Khersonska Oblast. Its center is located on the riverbank. Currently, no humanitarian organization travels there. Sometimes it is possible to arrange the delivery of at least water, but the cargo is taken not to Novovorontsovka itself, but to the most remote village of the hromada, where there are almost no roads. Delivering aid to other settlements requires solving complex logistics issues,” explains Yuliia.
Most hromadas face severe problems with transportation — there are very few vehicles. Cars have been destroyed or damaged by explosions, or taken by Russians when they retreated.
Changing Priorities of Humanitarian Organizations and the Regression of Hromadas’ Needs
At the same time as the security situation in Khersonska Oblast changes, organizations, especially international ones, are curtailing humanitarian programs, primarily rapid response programs. They emphasize that hromadas have already somewhat recovered and therefore need to think about their budgets and development.
“However, we see that there are hromadas where everything is only getting worse: the situation is returning to what it was immediately after being retaken by Ukraine,” says Yuliia Stadnyk.
Viktor Alkhimov explains that the change of priorities in the activities of international humanitarian organizations is a natural process. At the beginning of the full-scale war, they helped the state to meet the basic needs of people when a large number of them simultaneously found themselves in a critical situation. Now the situation has stabilized, and therefore funding is being reduced. Organizations are changing their focus of activities: from rapid response they are shifting to reintegration, psychological support, and legal assistance. In addition, the changing political situation in the world has an impact: due to the escalation of wars in other countries, humanitarian and financial assistance is redirected there, which reduces attention to the war in Ukraine.
The local humanitarian response coordination mechanism Link has been implemented by the Legal Development Network since 2023. Over the course of two years, some hromadas have indeed gone from addressing immediate humanitarian challenges to developing development plans. However, the deterioration of the security situation has contributed to regression in needs—hromadas have once again focused on addressing urgent security issues.
“Just half a year ago, when we worked with them, their plans and strategic vision were aimed not only at addressing current challenges but also at development. Now everything has returned to security, evacuation, and acute humanitarian needs,” says Yuliia Stadnyk.
How Needs Assessment Specialists Respond to Increasing Risks
The deterioration of the security situation requires even more careful planning of team visits to hromadas, and sometimes visits have to be cancelled or postponed. For example, the team of Oleksandr Honchar, which works in Chornobaivska and Muzykivska hromadas, was forced to postpone a visit because it became known the day before about a drone attack along their route.
Before each visit to a Hromada, Yuliia Stadnyk’s team always contacts the head of the village military administration to learn the current situation in the settlement. If travel is unsafe, the visit is postponed. Even while en route, the team stays in constant contact with a Hromada representative, as the situation can change.
Unfortunately, in settlements under daily shelling, there have been losses among informants who reported needs for the Link mechanism and through whom overlooked and unmet needs could be verified.
“The security situation in Kherson and Khersonska Oblast is deteriorating significantly, and the number of shellings is increasing. There are cases when representatives of international organizations are affected by shelling. The latest incident — 20 kilometers from the front line on the Mykolaiv–Kherson highway — involved drones attacking vehicles,” notes Viktor Alkhimov.
Mykolaivska Oblast: Security Situation Stable; the Most Acute Problems Are Water and Shelters
The security situation in 11 Hromadas retaken by Ukraine in Mykolaivska Oblast, where the Link mechanism operates, is relatively stable, with the main challenge remaining water supply. The problem is very large‑scale, and humanitarian organizations are engaged both in delivering bottled drinking water and in more systemic solutions — installing water towers, deep pumps, and repairing and replacing water pipelines.
“Despite the efforts of many organizations, this need is being met very slowly and not in full, since the water pipelines that need replacement often stretch for several kilometers. For example, the village of Murakhivka in Bereznehuvatska Hromada requires replacement of a 10‑kilometer pipeline, and the township of Myroliubivka in Voskresenska Hromada — about 13 kilometers. And there are many such cases. No organization can cope with such a volume of work on its own. They cover part of it: installing tanks, pumps. But the problem is very serious,” notes Coordinator of the Humanitarian Response Team in Mykolaivska and Khersonska Oblasts Tetiana Tymoshyna (Mykolaiv city).
According to Tetiana, ensuring water supply for Hromadas requires a comprehensive approach and the involvement of several organizations. She cites the example of the village of Kaluga in Bereznehuvatska Hromada, where — thanks to such cooperation — a water tower was installed.
“The tower itself was provided, but the Hromada head could not find contractors for installation, since the structure was 19.5 meters high and required special equipment and specialists. A Data Collection Specialist of the Link local humanitarian response coordination mechanism identified this problem during a visit to the village. The information was promptly relayed to the WASH Cluster leadership. Nine months later, through joint efforts, the tower was installed,” says Tetiana Tymoshyna.
Another challenge for Mykolaivska Oblast is the large number of internally displaced people from Khersonska Oblast who evacuate to the nearest safer region due to the worsening security situation. Recently, the number of people leaving has increased significantly, but the number of shelters that can accommodate them has not. Currently, there are only five temporary accommodation centers in Mykolaivska Oblast, while the need is much greater.
“In Shevchenkivska Hromada, premises were arranged for displaced people. However, it turned out that the kitchen needed to be equipped with appliances and a water purification system. A World Central Kitchen coordinator promised to help as soon as the center officially starts operating. But many more such places are needed, as active hostilities are forcing people to leave. Since they do not want to go far from home, the issue of housing for displaced people in Mykolaivska Oblast is very acute,” says Tetiana Tymoshyna.
There is also a need for new shelters in Khersonska Oblast. People evacuating from coastal areas lack places for temporary accommodation. Oleksandr Honchar reports that the modular town in the village of Kyselivka, Chornobaivska Hromada, is no longer coping with the inflow of people: “People keep arriving, and there are not enough places.”
The deterioration of the security situation in hromadas retaken by Ukraine in Khersonska Oblast has complicated access for humanitarian organizations. Settlements located within a 30‑kilometer zone from the front line have found themselves in a difficult situation due to intensified shelling and challenges with the delivery of basic necessities. The security situation has triggered increased evacuations from coastal areas to Mykolaivska Oblast and to safer parts of Khersonska Oblast, where there is a shortage of shelters to accommodate people. Shifting the focus from emergency response to development does not correspond to the current needs of hromadas along the front line.
This material was prepared by the Legal Development Network in cooperation with the Czech humanitarian organization “People in Need” and with financial support from the Government of the United Kingdom.
The conclusions presented in the material, as well as interpretations of the collected information, are solely the position of the authors and do not reflect the views of the project’s donors and partners.
