Russia destroys World Health Organization warehouse in Dnipro

A World Health Organization (WHO) warehouse in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was destroyed during a recent Russian attack,  sending emergency health supplies up in smoke, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed on Aug. 9.

Russia struck the facility during an attack in Dnipro, Ukraine's fourth-largest city, on Aug. 7.

The warehouse contained humanitarian medical supplies bound for the front line, Ghebreyesus wrote on X. Staff from the UN's health agency managed to evacuate 130 of some 300 pallets' worth of aid before the strike.

"I cannot say loudly enough: attacks on health care MUST STOP," Ghebreyesus said.

"Even wars have rules. One of those is that health must be protected."

Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets condemned the strike, which he described as a "cynical" Russian attack on the most vulnerable people.

"This is a blow to essential medicines intended for hospitals and people closest to the front line," Lubinets wrote on Telegram. "I see a clear and cynical goal of the Russians — to deprive people of the means to save lives."

The attack on the WHO warehouse is not the first instance of Russia targeting UN actors in Ukraine.

In May, a UN convoy delivering supplies to civilians in Kherson Oblast was severely damaged in two Russian drone strikes. WHO has also documented the increased risk faced by ambulance drivers and health transport personnel throughout the full-scale war.

Despite this record, Ghebreyesus kept to the passive voice when condemning the attack and did not call out Russia by name, a trend observed across United Nations social media accounts.

One EU diplomat told the Kyiv Independent that colleagues in Brussels were wondering if that approach might change after the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs called out Russia for attacking Ukrainian civilian targets on July 30.