First Person: On Ukraine’s frontlines, humanitarians risk all to bring hope

“Sometimes it feels like we’re swimming against a current that never slows down,” says Ms. Tiutiunnyk, a protection specialist working in Ukraine for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Viktoria herself is a displaced person from Luhansk, forced to flee following the onset of hostilities.

“I was not a part of the humanitarian community”, she recalls, speaking about the early days of the invasion, ahead of World Humanitarian Day.

“I was not with the UNHCR at that time. I was a civil servant, but I think those events that occurred in my life and the life of the whole country were the trigger for me: I switched to the humanitarian sector, and I joined UNHCR.”

With evacuations ongoing in eastern Ukraine, Ms. Tiutiunnyk is now helping support evacuees and newly displaced people in the Dnipro region, as well as those who remain in frontline areas.

Since 1 August last year, more than 192,000 people have left the region, either on their own or with support from authorities and volunteers – and UNHCR is providing them with much-needed assistance. 

‘I’m where I’m meant to be’

“When I meet those people after an attack or at a site where they are currently staying, it reminds me why I do this work,” says Ms. Tiutiunnyk, who recently returned from a field mission. “When they open up, when they share their stories, what they’ve gone through, it moves me so deeply. And at that moment, I truly feel like I’m where I’m meant to be.”

Many displaced people are under extreme stress; their lives are filled with fear and anxiety. Some fled in a hurry without passports and other essential documents, while others urgently need money to buy food and medicine.

UNHCR’s emergency response includes psychological support, legal aid, and cash assistance. “We also provide support to some of the collective sites where people can stay for a while until they find other places,” explains Ms. Tiutiunnyk.

With the war now in its fourth year and 3.7 million people internally displaced, humanitarian needs continue to escalate. “The war goes on, the attacks continue, the needs keep growing,” she says.

‘This should not be the new normal’

Providing assistance on the frontlines often means working under dangerous conditions, including drone attacks and aerial strikes: as she spoke to UN News, an air-raid siren blared in the background.

“It is stressful for sure. For a lot of people, now it’s their daily life. They are remaining in the frontline areas despite daily shelling and attacks. Why? Because this is their home.”

If I can bring them hope, it fills my life with some meaning

In their work, Ms. Tiutiunnyk and her colleagues speak daily with people who are deeply traumatized and anxious – many of them plead with humanitarian workers not to abandon them.

“I’m the same. I’m also displaced, and if I can bring them that hope, that small assistance, contribute at least to stabilizing their situation, it fills my life with some meaning.

“Some people say they get used to the air-raid alerts and the situation in general. But you cannot get used to this, right? This is not normal. It shouldn’t be the new normal,” she adds.

When asked what keeps her going, Ms. Tiutiunnyk says she draws inspiration from her colleagues – people she often spends more time with than her own family – and from her managers, who, as she puts it, “work around the clock.”

“When I see that they can continue, why can’t I continue? You need to think, are we pursuing a common goal? Yes, we are. So, we’re in the right place.”