WHO says key warehouse destroyed by attack in Ukraine

The World Health Organization reported that one of its primary warehouses in Ukraine was destroyed in an airstrike, marking the third such incident in just three months. This destructive pattern of attacks on humanitarian facilities in Ukraine is exacerbating challenges for the delivery of essential medical supplies to frontline areas and remote regions.

Over the past three months, three warehouses operated by the WHO in different regions of Ukraine have been obliterated by airstrikes, leaving critical medical resources intended for urgent care situations in disarray.

The WHO's Europe department disclosed an air assault in the Kyiv region that obliterated a principal warehouse housing humanitarian medical supplies. Current safety concerns and heavy smoke continue to hinder access to the affected site, while evaluations of potential damage and supply losses are underway. Fortunately, no WHO personnel were harmed during these attacks.

This incident follows a similar assault two weeks ago in Dnipro, which completely destroyed one of the WHO's humanitarian warehouses, resulting in the loss of half of the medical supplies and equipment meant to aid an estimated 225,000 individuals. Additionally, a warehouse in the Kyiv region suffered damage during a large-scale wave of attacks on the capital and surrounding areas in July.

WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier clarified to reporters in Geneva that all warehouses, including those belonging to the United Nations and the WHO, are being deconflicted. This means their locations are clearly communicated to all parties involved in armed conflicts. However, the attacks are part of a broader pattern impacting humanitarian operations throughout the country.

While the UN aid agency OCHA has documented at least 20 attacks on warehouses storing humanitarian supplies in 2022, the WHO has verified 15 attacks on health-related warehouses this year alone.

The WHO emphasizes its role in verifying and recording attacks on healthcare facilities, but it does not attribute blame, as it is not an investigative agency. The organization is deeply concerned about the escalating pattern of attacks on health in Ukraine, including on humanitarian storage facilities. With over 3,000 attacks on healthcare in Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, health facilities and the broader health system are afforded protection under international humanitarian and human rights law.