What the Head of the UN in Ukraine Is Seeing on the Ground

Military developments, diplomacy and geopolitics dominate discussion of the war in Ukraine. But behind every missile strike and frontline shift are millions of civilians whose lives have been fundamentally transformed by more than four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion. In this episode of History in the Making: The War in Ukraine, Mark McNamee speaks with Matthias Schmale, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, about the human reality of a war that is now well into its fifth year. Drawing on his travels across Ukraine, including communities just kilometers from the front, Schmale shares what he has witnessed on the ground, the people and experiences that have stayed with him, and what worries him most about Ukraine’s future. They discuss the consequences of declining international humanitarian support, what continues to give him hope despite the devastation, and what he wishes world leaders better understood about Ukraine. The conversation also steps back to a larger question: what has Russia’s invasion of Ukraine revealed about the international system created after the Second World War—and its ability to protect civilians when a major power chooses to violate its most fundamental rules? About Matthias Schmale Matthias Schmale is the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, aka Head of the UN in Ukraine, where he leads and coordinates the UN’s development and humanitarian work across the country. He brings more than 30 years of international experience, including senior roles in Nigeria, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan, working with the United Nations, UNRWA, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. To connect and message with Mark on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mcnamee-58950910 To learn more, visit: https://ubn.network/ Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters: https://missionmatters.com/author/Mark-McNamee/ If you found this episode valuable, follow the podcast and share it with someone who wants to better understand the war in Ukraine.