UN may move Ukraine aid supplies underground after Russian attacks
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State Emergency Service
The United Nations is considering storing humanitarian
supplies in underground facilities after Russian strikes destroyed 10 of the
organization’s warehouses
in Ukraine this year, Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian coordinator in
Ukraine, told Reuters
on Sept. 15.
Schmale said the organization is seeking ways to reduce risks to humanitarian shipments amid Russian attacks.
“These deliberate attacks on warehousing capacities ... is a new trend of the last few months,” the official said. He added that humanitarian organizations are being forced to reconsider how they store and deliver aid.
Ten UN warehouses have come under attack since the beginning of the year, he said. The strikes destroyed humanitarian supplies worth millions of dollars. In early September, Russian forces struck one of the World Health Organization’s main warehouses, which held medical supplies.
In other attacks, hygiene kits and school supplies intended for children were destroyed.
One option under consideration is moving supplies to underground bunkers. The organization also plans to reduce the amount of humanitarian cargo purchased well in advance of delivery.
In particular, the UN wants to move procurement as close as possible to the time the aid is needed on the ground. That would reduce the amount of time supplies remain in warehouses and lower the risk of their destruction in Russian attacks.
“This feels increasingly like the front line is moving into the air,” Schmale said.
He also noted that stronger security measures create additional costs for humanitarian organizations. Those costs include not only the value of destroyed supplies, but also expenses related to protecting personnel and infrastructure.
Schmale said those additional needs were not included in the
UN humanitarian aid budget for Ukraine, which stands at $2.3 billion for 2026.
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