UN weighs moving Ukraine aid supplies underground after warehouse hits

The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine said on Tuesday his organization is considering moving aid supplies underground to dodge Russian strikes, which have hit 10 of its warehouses this year, destroying millions of dollars’ worth of supplies.

One of the World Health Organization’s main warehouses containing medical supplies was hit earlier this month, and other strikes have destroyed hygiene kits and children’s school supplies, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale told Reuters in Geneva.

“These deliberate attacks on warehousing capacities ... is a new trend of the last few months,” he said, after briefing states on needs in Ukraine in the fifth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

He said they are weighing moving supplies into underground bunkers and are delaying purchases of aid supplies until the last minute to reduce exposure to strikes.

“This feels increasingly like the front line is moving into the air,” he said.

“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,” he continued, adding that such costs were not foreseen in the body’s $2.3 billion aid budget for 2026.

The U.N. is investing in equipment to protect staff, such as more armored vehicles and drone-detection devices. The organization is also considering the growing Ukrainian requests for mobile drone shelters in the streets, such as near bus shelters, as civilian casualties rise, he said.