This Friday will mark a year since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

For the World Health Organization (WHO), providing humanitarian support is the key priority during conflicts and other crises, said Dr. Jarno Habicht, the agency’s representative in the country. 

Ahead of the grim anniversary, he spoke to UN News’s Andrei Muchnik about WHO’s ongoing operations amid missile and drone attacks, and how many local colleagues “have lost everything except their work”. 

Dr. Habicht began by explaining what initially brought him to Ukraine.