Ukraine says Russian strikes hit humanitarian warehouses as civilian toll rises

The UN aid coordination agency, OCHA, said attacks over the past days killed and injured dozens in Kyiv, at a recreation site in the Odesa region and in Zaporizhzhia, where the media also reported that a drone strike destroyed a Red Cross vehicle.

“The increasing toll of these attacks across the country is devastating,” Matthias Schmale, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine said.

Deadly weekend strikes

UN agencies roundly condemned the killings, calling for an end to hostilities.

As a result of deadly weekend attacks, humanitarian warehouses sustained damage, including the World Food Programme (WFP) in Dnipro and the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Kyiv region, the UN spokesperson told reporters on Monday.

The WFP warehouse was hit four times by drone strikes, the UN agency said, marking the seventh attack on its clearly marked assets in Ukraine in the past three months, with more than 90 such strikes recorded in the last two years.

At the time of Sunday’s attack on a UNICEF-contracted warehouse in Bilohorodka, the facility contained more than 106,000 items with an estimated value of $3.9 million, including generators, drinking water, hygiene kits and water storage tanks that are critical for the agency’s response in Ukraine, according to the agency, noting that an assessment of the full impact is ongoing.

‘Horrifying, sleepless night’

“Despite these challenges, we and our humanitarian partners provided emergency response after attacks and delivered 11 metric tonnes of aid to frontline communities in Kherson,” the UN Spokesperson said on Monday, noting that the supplies included water, hygiene and dignity kits, first-aid kits and medicines.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it is deeply saddened by reports of two children killed and at least 50 more injured in attacks across Ukraine in the last week, including in Kyiv.

“This attack was part of yet another horrifying, sleepless night for children,” UNICEF said. “Air raid alarms and explosions lasted for hours in Kyiv and the region. Casualties and damage to homes have been reported. UNICEF and our partners continue to assist affected children and families.”

Attacks must end

UNICEF also voiced deep concerned by the continued killing and injuring of children in Ukraine, noting that June recorded the highest monthly child casualty figure since 2022, with seven children killed and 116 injured.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to their families,” the agency statement said.

Continued attacks are also disrupting the humanitarian response, UNICEF warned, adding that damage to humanitarian warehouses and attacks on humanitarians impede the delivery of lifesaving support for children and families affected by the war.

“These attacks must end,” UNICEF stated. “Children and humanitarian facilities must be protected. Above all, children in Ukraine need a lasting peace.”