In an interview with LDaily, George Janjalia, a representative of Healix International, provides an in-depth analysis of the regional variations in threat levels across Ukraine and highlights the most common mistakes organizations make when planning operations in a conflict zone. He emphasizes the importance of accurate risk assessments, readiness for emergency evacuation, well-structured logistics, and close cooperation with trusted local partners. Particular attention is given to the need for thorough staff training and the integration of security measures into daily operations. This interview serves as a valuable source of practical guidance for organizations seeking to operate safely and sustainably in an unstable environment.
LDaily: Could you please tell us about yourself?
G. Janjalia: I’m George Janjalia. I come from a military background in Georgia and have been working in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. I’ve been here on the ground from the start, helping clients navigate the risks of working in an active war zone. I work for Healix International as the Senior Country Security Manager, based in Kyiv. We provide a full security risk management service that includes ground operations, movement support, emergency response, site assessments, and day-to-day risk advisory. Since 2022, we’ve also helped organisations maintain business continuity through some of the toughest phases of the war, when fuel was scarce, movement was restricted, and logistics were unpredictable. As the capital came under drone and missile attacks, we supported clients in developing practical security protocols for office work, adapting to blackouts, and staying operational in the middle of instability. Since early 2022, I’ve overseen the setup of protective infrastructure and continuity protocols for more than 200 people across 12 locations. I’ve led evacuations, coordinated logistics under pressure, and helped international teams move safely through conflict-affected areas.
LDaily: Could you please tell us about Healix and its role globally and in Ukraine?
G. Janjalia: Healix International is a global leader in integrated travel, medical and security risk management, entrusted by governments, NGOs, international corporations, major insurers and more. Drawing on over 30 years of experience, we’ve safeguarded the health and wellbeing of more than 1.2 million people worldwide, working in some of the most complex and challenging conditions imaginable. Our model blends 24/7 global operations centres with in-country support teams and a trusted network of local resources. In Ukraine, our role has evolved from short-term crisis response to long-term resilience building. We work with clients to enable and scale operations through real-time threat assessments, ground-level intelligence in what is a highly dynamic context, secure movement planning, and emergency response. Since the beginning of the war, we’ve built resilient security infrastructures, advised on continuity planning, all while facilitating safe travel across the region. We are not operating from a distance. We respond in real time and work side by side with our clients. Some days, we are running practical medical training sessions using actors to simulate casualty scenarios. Other days, we are behind a desk drafting a risk analysis about drone incidents that could affect business operations. It is that range that defines what we do here.
LDaily: What does it really take to operate safely in Ukraine today?
G. Janjalia: It takes a structured, intelligence-driven approach that combines preparation and local engagement. The threat environment remains highly dynamic and differs significantly depending on where you are in the country. Missile and drone strikes can reach cities far from the frontlines. Ground combat and artillery continue in the east and south, while infrastructure disruptions and access limitations are still part of daily life, even in central and western regions that may appear calmer on the surface. To remain safe and functional in this environment, organisations need a layered medical and security risk management framework. That means starting with accurate threat assessments, building actionable plans, and ensuring all staff are trained and briefed before deployment. It also requires vetted transportation options, access to secure accommodation, real-time movement tracking, and reliable shelter plans. Just as important is having a strong local network and operational top cover. This is a country at war, and even in places that seem stable, there are hidden dynamics that only experienced, trusted local partners can help navigate. No plan can remain static. Conditions can shift overnight, and so success depends on having a partner on the ground who can interpret the situation as it evolves and adapt accordingly. This is where we come in.
LDaily: What are the main security threats you are currently observing?
G. Janjalia: The threat landscape in Ukraine remains complex, multilayered and significantly varied depending on where in the country you are operating. The most immediate and widespread threat continues to be from aerial attacks. Missile strikes and explosive drones target both infrastructure and civilian areas, and no region is entirely immune. While air defence systems have improved, the risk from falling debris and saturation strikes remains. Kinetic threats are most severe near the frontlines. Artillery shelling, guided aerial bombs, and small arms fire present constant danger. Regions like Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv experience daily kinetic activity that can escalate without warning. Beyond the battlefield, unexploded ordnance and landmines pose long-term risks. Ukraine is now one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, with vast areas contaminated and requiring extreme caution even months after the active fighting ends. There is also a growing concern about sabotage and asymmetric threats. As the war evolves, we have seen increasing signs of infiltration, attempted bombings, and cyber-attacks on infrastructure and logistics networks. Criminal activity, including theft and fraud, persists in areas where local enforcement is overstretched. These are some of the less obvious threats and they require constant monitoring, rapid response capability, and reliable local intelligence.
LDaily: How much does the situation vary depending on the region?
G. Janjalia: The security situation in Ukraine varies significantly by region. Understanding this variation is critical for any organisation planning to operate here. In the east and south, particularly in oblasts like Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, the threat is constant and direct. These areas face daily shelling, guided bomb attacks, and ground combat activity. Civilian infrastructure is often compromised, and movements require high-level coordination and military clearance. In the north and northeast, regions like Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv face cross-border artillery and drone threats. While these areas are under Ukrainian control, proximity to the Russian border makes them volatile and frequently targeted.
Central cities like Kyiv and Dnipro are operational but still exposed to long-range missile strikes and drone attacks. The rhythm of life feels more stable, but sirens and sheltering remain part of the routine. Businesses can operate, and many are continuing their work, but they must integrate contingency plans into daily procedures. Western Ukraine, including cities like Lviv, Ternopil, and Uzhhorod, is comparatively more stable. These regions have become hubs for relocated staff, logistics bases, and international offices. While they are not front-line areas, they are not completely risk-free. Missile and drone attacks have occasionally targeted these areas as well, especially critical infrastructure.
LDaily: What are the most common mistakes organizations make when planning operations in Ukraine?
G. Janjalia: One of the most common mistakes organisations make when planning operations in Ukraine is underestimating how quickly conditions can change. Some organisations rely on outdated assessments or assume that stability in one city means the same applies elsewhere. This leads to reactive risk management instead of proactive risk mitigation. Another frequent error is failing to define clear evacuation triggers or contingency routes. Without pre-agreed thresholds for withdrawal or relocation, decision-making becomes emotional and delayed during a crisis. Developing proper decision-making aids that reflect each organisation’s risk tolerance is critical. Without them, we often see risk appetites shifting mid-crisis, leading to inconsistent, reactive choices. We also see organisations underestimate the logistical realities. Fuel shortages, movement restrictions, and sudden road closures can paralyse operations if not accounted for in advance. Similarly, many overlook the importance of local partnerships. Operating from a distance without trusted in-country support leads to blind spots. Even well-resourced teams can struggle without accurate, real-time intelligence from people who understand local dynamics. Another issue is the lack of staff training. Sending people into a conflict zone without hostile environment awareness or first aid skills puts both people and the project at risk. Finally, some organisations fail to integrate security into their daily operations. They treat it as a separate function rather than a foundation for continuity.
LDaily: How can organisations protect their staff while remaining operational?
G. Janjalia: Protecting staff and staying operational are not opposing goals. In fact, the most resilient organisations are those that embed security into their daily workflows and the remit of security is about enabling the project. It begins with planning. Every team needs a clear security risk management plan that includes up-to-date threat assessments, movement protocols, safe accommodation arrangements, and emergency response procedures. These plans should be specific to each location and flexible enough to adapt when conditions shift. Training is equally critical. Staff need to know how to respond to air raid alerts, identify suspicious activity, and administer basic first aid. The more confident your people are in crisis situations, the more likely they are to perform better, act decisively and avoid harm. Pre-deployment briefings and refresher training are not optional in this environment. They are essential.
Technology also plays a key role. Tools like real-time tracking, notification systems, and mass communications allow organisations to stay connected, push alerts instantly, and account for staff during a crisis. But the foundation is still human. Protection comes from having the right people in the right place, backed by a support network that can respond when something goes wrong. From our perspective, we build this support around each client and make sure that a best practice model is adjusted to their project, their risk appetite, their exposure, their budget and a range of other things.
LDaily: How do you ensure the reliability and relevance of local intelligence?
G. Janjalia: Reliable intelligence is the foundation of every safe decision in a conflict zone. Our team ensures both accuracy and relevance by using a multi-layered intelligence model. First, we maintain an in-country presence with trusted local partners and ground support teams. These are professionals we have worked with for years. They understand the terrain, the culture, and the behaviour patterns that often signal risk before it escalates. Second, we operate 24/7 Global Security Operations Centres that consolidates data from open-sources, official channels, satellite monitoring, and our own field reports. We verify all information through multiple sources before analysing and then distributing to the end user. In fast-moving environments like Ukraine, we prioritise time-sensitive alerts but follow with structured updates and confirmations to avoid misinformation. Third, our intelligence is operationally aligned. We do not just report incidents. We translate them into decisions. If a missile hits near a critical route, we assess the area, reroute planned movements, and brief clients with specific implications. Relevance is about timing and context. Our teams constantly ask how the information affects safety and business continuity right now. Finally, we integrate feedback loops. Field teams share what they see, what worked, and where gaps exist. This improves the quality of our intelligence every day. Intelligence is not static. It evolves with the risk or threat. That is why our system is both dynamic and deeply embedded. We are not watching from a distance. We are in the field, and that makes all the difference.
LDaily: What are the advantages of embedded teams compared to remote coordination?
G. Janjalia: Embedded teams bring one critical advantage that remote coordination alone cannot match – immediacy. When a security advisor is physically present, they can respond to incidents in real time, read local conditions with precision, and guide staff through uncertainty with confidence. They know the streets, the situation on the ground, and the informal networks that often carry early warnings before anything is officially announced. Embedded support also builds trust. When your team sees a security professional working alongside them, it reinforces discipline and preparedness. This is especially important during moments of panic, such as missile strikes or sudden evacuations. An embedded advisor becomes the point of calm, translating alerts into actions and helping teams navigate rapidly changing conditions.
That said, remote coordination has its own strengths. It allows for broader oversight, higher levels of objectivity, access to strategic resources, and continuous global monitoring. We never treat it as one or the other. We combine embedded ground teams with 24/7 support from our Global Security Operations Centres. The field teams handle tactical execution, while the remote analysts and security specialists manage intelligence flow, route planning, and cross-border coordination. The hybrid model is what delivers real resilience. Embedded professionals bring context and speed. Remote teams bring scale and depth.
LDaily: Can you share an example where real-time, on-the-ground response changed the outcome of a situation?
G. Janjalia: In the first months of the full-scale invasion, our focus was on emergency response, primarily evacuations and logistical coordination under pressure. Border crossings were overwhelmed. Average wait times at exit points reached eight to twelve hours, sometimes even longer. We discovered early on that evacuating at night gave us a tactical advantage. If a team cleared the city before curfew, they could travel between regions freely and reach the border by early morning. This became a repeatable model after several successful runs. During one such operation, a team transporting principals reached the designated crossing but found the border unexpectedly – and without explanation – sealed. They became stuck for over ten hours. Meanwhile, another evacuation was scheduled for 8 am at the same crossing, and that convoy was just beginning its route. With the first operation still unresolved and the border overwhelmed, the second group faced estimated delays of twelve to sixteen hours. At that moment, our ground team made the critical difference. Relying on their local network, they discovered that the publicly available queue-tracking systems were no longer accurate. Another crossing, unlisted and overlooked, was completely clear. The team exercised its authority to reroute the evacuation. Our Ukrainian and Polish coordinators adapted the plan in real time, synchronised their movements, and within an hour, the evacuees were safely across. This outcome was only possible because of our presence on the ground and our trust in local intelligence. Without that situational awareness and the ability to act on it immediately, both evacuation groups would have been stalled indefinitely. In conflict zones, timely decisions guided by real conditions are often the difference between success and failure.
LDaily: What tools or technologies do you use to ensure crisis preparedness?
G. Janjalia: We use a full suite of integrated tools to maintain preparedness and respond effectively to any crisis. Everything we do is built around speed, accuracy, and coordination, so the technology we deploy has to support all three. One of our core platforms is Healix Sentinel. This system gives us real-time visibility of client personnel and operations on the ground. It allows us to track movements, overlay risk data on live maps, and visualise active alerts through a centralised dashboard. If there is an incident, whether a missile strike, border closure, or civil unrest, we can immediately see who is affected and what the safest options are.
Paired with Sentinel is the Healix Travel Oracle app, which every deployed staff member can download on their mobile phone. It delivers location-based alerts, allows for routine check-ins, and includes an emergency Mayday function that connects directly to our 24/7 Global Security Operations Centres. This link between people in the field and our response teams is what enables rapid, two-way communication during a crisis. For communication redundancy, we also deploy satellite phones and portable Starlink terminals where necessary. These ensure that even in areas with damaged infrastructure or network outages, our teams remain fully connected. We also maintain a global incident alerting system that consolidates OSINT, ground reports, and proprietary monitoring into one stream. Our analysts cross-verify data to ensure clients receive accurate, actionable updates. These tools work together to support one purpose: to make sure our clients are never caught off guard and always have a clear path forward, no matter how complex the environment. Technology alone cannot guarantee safety, but when paired with trusted people and real-time intelligence, it becomes a powerful shield.
LDaily: How do you train clients or partners to operate in uncertain environments?
G. Janjalia: We provide practical, scenario-based training that prepares clients for the realities of operating in high-risk environments. Every session is tailored to the client’s specific mission, location, and risk profile. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Before deployment, we deliver detailed briefings that cover local threats, movement protocols, air raid procedures, and shelter planning. For more complex operations, we offer Hostile Environment Awareness Training, which includes mine awareness, trauma first aid, and simulated crisis response. We also involve our medical team directly in this process, offering integrated medical training alongside security protocols. Leadership teams receive crisis management exercises to rehearse decision-making under pressure. We also train teams on how to use our tools, including the Healix Sentinel platform and Travel Oracle App, so they can act fast and stay connected in a crisis. Our goal is to make every person we support confident, capable, and ready to respond -because the right preparation saves lives and keeps operations running.
LDaily: What universal lessons have you learned that are applicable beyond Ukraine?
G. Janjalia: Ukraine has taught us many lessons, but the most significant is that resilience must be built before the crisis begins. This experience has fundamentally changed how we help organisations plan for what comes next. Instability is no longer temporary. It is the new baseline. The clients who adapted best were those who had made early investments in contingency planning, trained staff, and understood their risk tolerance before the first missile ever landed. It has also reinforced core principles of how we operate. One of those is the value of deep, selective network building. When systems break down, broad directories are less useful than strong, longstanding partnerships. The relationships we have maintained with local providers and trusted ground teams are what enabled rapid decision-making when the situation turned. Ukraine has also validated the integrated medical and security model. When emergencies strike, fragmentation between health and security planning slows everything down. Running both through a unified approach saves time and saves lives. Finally, this war has reshaped the way intelligence is produced, shared, and applied. The rise of open-source intelligence, from government disclosures to satellite imagery analysis by independent investigators, has shown how decision-making improves when intelligence is decentralised but verified. As a function of operations, intelligence has never added more value than it does now. The challenges and opportunities ahead lie in integrating that OSINT stream into secure, real-time, and operationally aligned systems.
LDaily: What new risks do you anticipate over the next 6 to 12 months?
G. Janjalia: The main theme for the coming year is uncertainty. Macro geopolitical trends and external pressures are pushing and pulling Ukraine in different directions, creating a highly dynamic environment that shifts daily. Uncertainty itself is a threat, complicating planning and decision-making for organisations on the ground. As the war goes on, missile strikes and drone warfare will remain the most immediate and disruptive threat. Russia has already deployed thousands of Shahed drones, with some attacks involving more than 180 drones in one night. These strikes increasingly target urban infrastructure, offices, and logistics hubs, making drones a daily security risk for businesses. We also anticipate a rise in sabotage and asymmetric threats. As Russian intelligence operations expand in Europe, the risk of infrastructure disruption or targeted acts of sabotage within Ukraine is increasing. These threats are harder to predict and require strong local intelligence networks to identify early. Cyber threats will remain constant. Companies in Ukraine face elevated risks of ransomware, espionage, and systems disruption. Hackers target logistics, banking, and international NGOs with increasing sophistication. Looking ahead, post-war challenges are emerging. Organised crime networks are exploiting wartime weapons flows. Ukraine is becoming one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, with long-term risks to transport, construction, and agriculture. Mental health issues will also impact workforce stability. PTSD is prevalent among the population and will pose the risk of affecting employee performance and increasing absenteeism. Infrastructure instability, power shortages, and unexploded ordinance will remain critical concerns. Businesses must build with redundancy in mind, backup power, hardened shelters, and route verification to remain operational. These risks are measurable and already cost companies millions in disruption.
LDaily: What global security trends are influencing your strategy?
G. Janjalia: Several global trends are directly shaping how we operate. First is the normalisation of drone warfare. What began as a tactical military tool has now become a strategic threat to civilian infrastructure, commercial logistics, and urban safety. This has forced us to adapt security protocols not only in Ukraine but also in other high-risk zones where drone proliferation is increasing. Second is the blurring of physical and cyber threats. State-sponsored cyber-attacks now target private sector supply chains, healthcare systems, and financial infrastructure. Risk management strategies must integrate digital security alongside physical protection. Third, we’re seeing conflict spillover becoming more common. Sabotage campaigns, hybrid warfare, and proxy violence are no longer limited to the core conflict zones. Threats now cross borders, especially in Europe and the Middle East, and that demands more flexible, multinational coordination. Finally, we are preparing for the post-conflict surge in organised crime and arms trafficking. As seen after wars in the Balkans and Iraq, weapons and destabilised regions often become magnets for criminal networks. Ukraine’s scale makes this risk even more significant.
