Warehouses supplying most of Ukraine’s pharmacies have been destroyed in a series of Russian attacks in recent months, with medical supplies worth around $200m lost in just two strikes in October and December.
A major warehouse in Dnipro was destroyed on 6 December, wiping out about $110m in medicines, or up to 30% of Ukraine’s monthly supply, after drones ignited a fire that could not be contained, according to BADM acting director-general Dmytro Babenko. BADM, which supplies roughly half of Ukraine’s pharmacies, is one of two dominant distributors, while the other, Optima Pharm, has had its warehouses struck three times this year, including an October attack that destroyed its main Kyiv facility and caused put at more than $100m.
Russia denies targeting civilians, saying the sites hit were military or industrial facilities, despite Ukrainian authorities accusing Moscow of deliberately striking healthcare-related infrastructure. These attacks have severely complicated the treatment of the sick and wounded after nearly four years of full-scale war, damaging supply chains for vital and often imported medicines not produced domestically.
The International Rescue Committee said it lost $195,000 worth of medical supplies in the Dnipro strike alone, resources that could have helped around 30,000 people, calling the warehouse a critical healthcare hub. Despite the losses, BADM says it hopes to restore supplies within one to six weeks and expects no major nationwide shortages, though some specific medicines may be affected.
Ukrainian officials report that more than 2,500 medical institutions have been damaged or destroyed and over 500 medical workers killed, while the World Health Organisation has recorded 2,763 attacks on Ukraine’s healthcare system since the invasion began, including a 12% rise this year.
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