By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - One of the World Health Organization’s main warehouses storing humanitarian medical supplies in Ukraine was struck during an air attack overnight in the region surrounding Kyiv, the WHO said on Friday.
“Access to the site remains restricted due to heavy smoke and safety concerns, while assessments of possible damage and stock losses are ongoing. No WHO personnel were affected,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said.
The attack follows a strike in August on a WHO humanitarian warehouse in the southern city of Dnipro, resulting in the loss of half of the medical supplies and equipment intended to support an estimated 225,000 people living in front-line and hard-to-reach areas, according to the WHO.
Another warehouse used by the WHO near Kyiv was damaged during a large-scale wave of attacks on the capital and surrounding region in July, Lindmeier said.
“The attacks are part of a broader pattern affecting humanitarian operations across the country. In 2026, at least 20 attacks have affected warehouses storing humanitarian supplies, including 15 attacks on warehouses holding health-related humanitarian supplies,” Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.
Alternative storage arrangements have already been identified following the latest incidents, the WHO said.
(Reporting by Olivia Le PoidevinEditing by Matthias Williams and Peter Graff)
