Recent attacks by Russian forces have led to the destruction of major medical warehouses in Ukraine, wiping out supplies essential for the country's healthcare. Over the past few months, approximately $200 million in medical supplies have been lost, particularly highlighting strikes in December and October, which severely hinder the ability to provide care for the sick and wounded.

On December 6, a Russian air strike on a facility in Dnipro led to the loss of around $110 million worth of medical supplies, which accounted for nearly 30% of the monthly needs for medicines across Ukraine, according to Dmytro Babenko, the acting director-general of pharmaceutical distributor BADM.

“It was a missile and drone strike against our facility,” Babenko stated, adding that the resulting fire caused irreparable damage to their operations. BADM and another major supplier, Optima Pharm, together provide around 85% of medications to Ukrainian pharmacies.

Optima Pharm also faced significant losses, especially after attacks that damaged their main storage facility in Kyiv, which they estimated cost about $100 million. Despite Russia's claims of targeting military infrastructure, these actions have predominantly impacted civilian health resources, as NGOs report devastating losses in supplies meant for humanitarian aid.

One organization, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), reported losing supplies that would have treated up to 30,000 individuals during these attacks. Their Dnipro facility, described as a vital hub for healthcare, can no longer serve the needs of the community due to the losses incurred.

Babenko remains hopeful that, despite the significant disruptions, the situation will stabilize within a month and that the overall supply of medicines will be restored. However, systematic attacks on medical facilities continue, with the World Health Organization recording thousands of attacks on healthcare since the conflict escalated. Ukraine has formally reported damages to over 2,500 medical institutions and hundreds of healthcare workers casualties.