Highlights: The city of Kherson is flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. The aid was quickly put in place on Tuesday thanks to local NGOs. The Ukrainian president denounced: "the United Nations and the representatives of the Red Cross are not there" However, international organizations are present, although not always visible, as Care's Ukraine director, Fabrice Martin, explains. The priorities are food and clean water, he says, and then how to continue the aid in the period of decline.

While the city of Kherson is flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, the entire region remains plagued by fighting, making relief and evacuation more difficult. The help came quickly...

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Ukraine: NGOs discreet but "on the ground" in Kherson after the destruction of the dam

While the city of Kherson is flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, the entire region remains plagued by fighting, making relief and evacuation more difficult. The aid was quickly put in place on Tuesday thanks to local NGOs, but on Wednesday 7 June, the Ukrainian president denounced: "the United Nations and the representatives of the Red Cross are not there". However, international organizations are present, although not always visible, as Care's Ukraine director, Fabrice Martin, explains.

Rescue workers help an elderly resident during an evacuation in Kherson, June 8, 2023. © Libkos / AP

Text by: Juliette Gheerbrant Follow

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RFI: What is your response to the dam attack?

Fabrice Martin: This attack is one of the crisis scenarios that we had anticipated, and we had set up a rapid response team, especially with a view to the counter-offensive. But reality always exceeds the most refined scenarios... What we did initially, and this is phase 1 of the response, was to provide what is called "vital response", mainly for evacuations. So, the inflatable boats and the engines that go with them, in particular. Then safety equipment to evacuate people.

These evacuations take an enormous amount of time and there are still a significant number of people who are surely waiting for evacuation, but who cannot be reached. For now, the priorities are food and clean water. Then, we will have to see how to continue the aid in the period of decline.

So international NGOs are well present on the ground?

Yes. Care works for 80% of its operations through local organizations, but has chosen to be on the ground with these organizations – while other international organizations cannot do so for security reasons. Despite this, all international NGOs support these local organizations by providing them with financial and logistical resources to enable them to work. So, it is not because we do not see international NGOs on the ground that they are not there!

Local organisations already have knowledge of the field, relations with the authorities, with local communities and know much better than we do, obviously, what to bring and how to bring it.

Regarding the attack on the dam, once again, we have been in the region since Tuesday, June 6. Things accelerated on Wednesday the 7th, we sent a security team to allow us access to the area, and on Thursday the 8th, we had a rapid response team. And we went to Kherson to meet our local partner and assess the needs.

But today we have the feeling that, indeed, there is a lack of coordination of the response on the one hand - and it is normally the role of the United Nations to coordinate this type of crisis - and on the other hand at the logistical level: I do not yet see any activation of a real supply chain of the areas that have been affected by these floods.

>> READ ALSO: Ukraine: fear of water pollution after the partial destruction of the Kakhovka dam

Does the continuation of fighting in the disaster zone, and particularly in Kherson, partly explain this delay?

Absolutely. Since the Ukrainian authorities regained control of the city, we at Care have managed to go twice: once in December and once in early March. This is clearly not a city where we can stay permanently. The initial idea was to set up a sub-office in Kherson, dependent on the Odessa office. But this is not possible today.

In recent days, when we have been there, it is with heavy equipment and on well-defined time slots to minimize exposure to risk. We do what we have to do, we have to go fast and go out between 15 p.m. and 16 p.m., because after indeed, statistically, we realized that there was an intensification of bombing. All this makes interventions extremely complicated.

>> Read also: Ukraine: what are the consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam?

Ukraine: NGOs discreet but "on the ground" in Kherson after the destruction of the dam

Ukraine: NGOs discreet but "on the ground" in Kherson after the destruction of the dam

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