A World Health Organization (WHO) humanitarian warehouse in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has been completely destroyed after being hit three times in less than a day, the organisation's European office confirmed. The facility held frontline medical supplies valued at roughly $500,000, enough to support an estimated 225,000 people.
Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said in a LinkedIn post that “everything was destroyed,” though he added that “thankfully, no casualties were reported.” The first strike occurred on August 3, prompting WHO teams to begin relocating the stock. A staff member and several drivers had just left the site on August 7 when a second strike hit, directly destroying WHO supplies. Hours later, a third strike levelled the building.
Before the final destruction, teams managed to move 130 of roughly 300 pallets to a safer location. The organisation is still assessing the full extent of the damage and the impact on its humanitarian operations in the region.
Relentless attacks on healthcare
The incident is the latest in a long series of attacks on Ukraine's healthcare infrastructure since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. According to WHO data, there have been 3,149 attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel, resulting in 240 deaths. The WHO's global surveillance portal records 72 attacks on warehouses and 646 incidents where medical supplies were affected.
“These attacks must stop now. Health is not a target,” Kluge said. His call was echoed by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who condemned the destruction in a post on X. “I cannot say loudly enough: attacks on health care MUST STOP. Otherwise, people are deprived of lifesaving healthcare,” he wrote.
The destruction of the Dnipro warehouse comes amid an intensifying exchange of missile and drone strikes between Kyiv and Moscow. Over the weekend, overnight strikes killed 13 people in Ukraine as Russia pressed its missile campaign. In a separate incident, Ukraine intercepted none of 28 missiles in a deadly barrage, underscoring the vulnerability of civilian infrastructure.
The repeated targeting of medical facilities and supplies has drawn international condemnation. The European Union has responded by targeting five more Russians over strikes on Ukrainian cities, part of a broader effort to hold perpetrators accountable. Meanwhile, Ukraine's drone sector remains resilient despite political changes, as reported by European Pulse.
The loss of the Dnipro warehouse is a significant blow to humanitarian efforts in eastern Ukraine, where access to medical care is already severely constrained. WHO teams are working to replenish supplies and find alternative storage, but the ongoing attacks make such efforts perilous.
“Health is not a target” has become a rallying cry for humanitarian organisations, but on the ground in Ukraine, the message is increasingly difficult to uphold. As the strikes continue, the international community faces mounting pressure to protect healthcare workers and the civilians who depend on them.
