Ukraine - Kherson convoy - 18 December 2025
Description
STORY: OCHA / HC UKRAINE KHERSON VISIT
TRT: 04:12
SOURCE: OCHA
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT OCHA ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 16 DECEMBER 2025, KHERSON REGION, UKRAINE
Shotlist
16 DECEMBER 2025, KHERSON CITY, KHERSON REGION, UKRAINE
1. Various shots, inter-agency humanitarian convoy travelling toward Kherson City
2. Wide shot, convoy moving through streets lined with damaged homes
3. Wide shot, residential apartment building damaged by missile strike
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine:
“We are in an inter-agency convoy heading to Kherson. And today we have to remember Kherson was in 2022 occupied for several months. And you still see the scars of that. Kherson is one of the most heavily impacted places in Ukraine along the frontline by the war.”
16 DECEMBER 2025, ANTONIVSKA HROMADA, KHERSON REGION, UKRAINE
5. Wide shot, UN and partner staff offloading aid supplies from a truck
6. Medium shot, Matthias Schmale joining partners to move boxes of vital supplies inside a warehouse in front line Antonivska Hromada in Kherson.
7. Medium shot, Matthias Schmale interacting with humanitarian partners, including local NGOs
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine:
“There are vulnerable people there that we are supporting with hygiene kits, dignity kits, medicine and food. All of those items are on the convoy today. It’s both an expression of practical support and solidarity with vulnerable people and the authorities that we will meet. As usual this is a collaborative effort. We have UN colleagues, WHO, Protection, UNHCR, on the convoy and on the ground. The implementation of the humanitarian work is done mostly by heroic NGOs.”
9. Medium shot, Matthias Schmale speaking from a humanitarian hub where vital supplies are stored
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine:
“We have just offloaded material for a community that is a bit of a distance from here. We’ve been hearing all the time shelling in the background, at times quite close, two or three kilometres. As you can see, we have brought dignity kits, food, medicine and survival kits, really for vulnerable people.”
16 DECEMBER 2025, ANTONIVSKA HROMADA, KHERSON REGION, UKRAINE
11. Wide shot, exterior of WFP-supported bakery showing visible damage
12. Medium shot, Matthias Schmale at the bakery, pointing to damaged rooftop and bread delivery windows
13. UPSOUND (English) Matthias Schmale, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine:
“So we are in Kherson, still at a bakery that has been supported by the World Food Programme. It was hit a few weeks ago. And this morning it was supposed to open. So we were coming to show solidarity as it was reopening. But then, we can see on my right here two cars that were bringing bread in the morning, and they were hit by drones. We are at the cars now. We need to go back.”
14. Close-up of Matthias Schmale and bakery workers inside the bakery, where crates of loaves of bread are stuck after the attack prevented delivery vans from transporting them to people in need in front-line communities.
15. Medium shot, damaged delivery vehicles outside bakery
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine:
“We can see the bread they made overnight, early morning. And some of this bread was supposed to be transported somewhere. Two cars outside that we just saw were hit. They cannot transport this food. But the people are still here. We’ve been hearing in Kherson all morning attacks, shelling, drone attacks. And I must say, my respect for the people who still do this kind of work to support their own people with food.”
17. Close-up, affected woman holding a branded WFP food bag
Storyline
On 16 December, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine Matthias Schmale led an inter-agency humanitarian convoy to Kherson Region, one of the areas most heavily impacted by the war. Kherson was occupied for several months in 2022 and remains close to the front line.
During the visit, Schmale said humanitarian partners are supporting vulnerable people with food, medicine, hygiene and dignity kits delivered as part of the convoy. He described the operation as a collaborative effort involving UN agencies and humanitarian partners, noting that much of the work is implemented by non-governmental organizations.
The convoy stopped at a humanitarian hub in Antonivska Hromada, where supplies were offloaded for further distribution to front-line communities amid ongoing shelling.
The team also visited a bakery supported by the World Food Programme that was hit on 4 December 2025 and reopened on the day of the visit. Bread baked overnight could not be delivered after vehicles outside were damaged.
As the visit continued, sounds of shelling were heard nearby. Schmale expressed respect for people who continue to support their communities with food despite the ongoing risks.