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UN Weighs Moving Ukraine Aid Supplies Underground After Russia Hit 10 Warehouses
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The United Nations is considering moving humanitarian supplies into underground bunkers in Ukraine after Russian strikes hit 10 of its warehouses in 2026, destroying millions of dollars’ worth of aid.
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According to Reuters on September 15, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale said the organization is examining underground storage as one way to reduce the exposure of humanitarian supplies to Russian air attacks. The UN is also delaying purchases until closer to the time when the goods are needed.
One of the World Health Organization’s main warehouses containing medical supplies was struck earlier in September, while other attacks destroyed hygiene kits and school supplies intended for children, Schmale told Reuters.
“These deliberate attacks on warehousing capacities (…) is a new trend of the last few months,” Schmale said.
The additional security measures and replacement of destroyed supplies are also increasing the cost of humanitarian operations in Ukraine. Schmale said those expenses had not been included in the UN’s $2.3 billion humanitarian aid budget for 2026.
“This feels increasingly like the front line is moving into the air,” he told Reuters. “That means extra cost also to the taxpayers, who at the end of the day pay for the goods that the U.N. and other humanitarians bring in.”
Reuters reported that the UN is also investing in additional equipment to protect its personnel, including armored vehicles and drone-detection systems. The organization is separately considering requests from Ukrainian authorities for mobile shelters designed to protect civilians from drones in public areas, including near bus stops.
Previously, on August 23, a Russian drone attack struck a Ukrainian Red Cross warehouse in Kherson, destroying or damaging humanitarian supplies worth about $626,000. The facility stored medical supplies, blankets, hygiene kits, and equipment intended to help communities prepare for winter and respond to Russian attacks.
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