The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are jointly implementing a project funded by the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund (UCRF). One component of the initiative focuses on addressing mine risks and delivering specialized training, with the support of the Government of Denmark.

As part of this work, specialists from this separate track maintenance unit of the regional Odesa Railway branch completed mine safety training in 2024 and 2025.

In this community, the ability to recognize threats and respond safely to explosive hazards is literally a matter of life and death. Serhii Kerekesha, Head of Kakhovka Track Distance, says this knowledge helps to protect what matters most: the people – including the railway workers – responsible for restoring the tracks.

“The staffing situation is extremely difficult,” he says. “But we are managing. We are ready to increase transport volumes, and we are waiting for better times.”In those “better times”, he recalls, railway traffic here was intense. Freight trains travelled towards the ports, while passenger trains carried tourists every summer. Today the situation is very different. Although the Government of Ukraine has restored control over the area, the territory is not yet fully safe. Civilian infrastructure continues to be shelled, mines remain in the ground, and trains travelling along this section are now mostly limited to suburban routes.

Serhii Kerekesha is 37. He joined the railway in 2010, during peacetime, starting his career at Kakhovka Track Distance. Over the years he has held several roles, from brigade leader to senior foreman. Before the occupation he served as Deputy Head of the enterprise.

“In December 2022 our workers began restoring tracks destroyed by shelling,” he recalls. “Immediately after de-occupation, I joined a reconnaissance team together with sappers in three directions – towards Kherson, Mykolaiv and Apostolove. With us was our colleague, senior track master Yevhen Lutskyi. He is local and knows the railway inside out.”

On 9 April 2023 the first suburban train arrived at Snihurivka station. At the time this meant a great deal for residents. In a region still recovering from occupation, people once again had access to a more affordable and safer form of transport.

Recovery, however, does not happen overnight. Kakhovka Track Distance continues to operate under extremely difficult conditions. In April 2024 Serhii Kerekesha became head of the enterprise, and he stresses that mine safety training is essential for all staff.

During daily inspections of the tracks and surrounding areas, railway workers frequently discover explosive hazards. When they do, they immediately report the findings to demining teams and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, which are often operating nearby. In these situations, the knowledge gained in training can be decisive. It helps workers act carefully and responsibly, protecting their colleagues and preventing potentially fatal consequences.

Many areas in and around Snihurivka remain potentially dangerous. People are gradually learning to live with these realities, paying closer attention to what surrounds them. And, Serhii says, they are also beginning to believe more in their own strength.

This, he adds, is partly thanks to the support of international organizations and other partners who have stood by the community during this difficult time.

“I truly believe we will overcome these challenges. Railway work will become safer again, and trains will once more carry tourists and freight to our ports along these tracks. This is what we are working towards,” Serhii Kerekesha says.

Originally published at undpukraine.exposure.co