According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 21 warehouses have been targeted this year, out of a total of 400 incidents, almost all involving heavy weapons which is classified as firearms, tanks, missiles, bombs and mortars.

Speaking to UN News, WHO Communications Officer Sarah Tyler described what WHO witnessed at hospitals and warehouses that had come under attack: “When you stand in those places, you really understand what the numbers mean.

“In just three months, four warehouses used by WHO were hit and three were destroyed…The health workers I met keep caring for patients under extraordinary pressure; protecting health care means protecting them.”

Growing toll

The development comes amid a large wave of large-scale attacks by Russian forces across Ukraine this week. Strikes overnight into Wednesday killed at least three people in Kyiv and left hundreds of thousands without power.

This was despite the announcement by President Trump last Friday of an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine.

Over the weekend, other Russian attacks included one in Zaporizhzhia that killed more than 20 people including four children.

Following the bombing, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) highlighted the “unimaginable loss” for families, insisting that the violence “must not become the new normal”.

WHO has verified more than 3,300 attacks on healthcare since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. A total of 247 people have been killed and more than 1,090 health workers and patients have been injured, according to data compiled by the agency.

The agency underlined that the consequences of attacks extend well beyond damage to individual buildings. “When warehouses and other humanitarian installations are hit, medicines, medical equipment, laboratory reagents and other essential supplies can be lost, disrupting the support that health facilities need to treat patients,” explained Dr Ihor Perehinets, WHO Regional Emergency and Health Security Director.

Under pressure

He stressed that Ukraine’s health workers face “extraordinary pressure” while continuing to deliver care.

“Protecting health services means protecting the people who provide them, as well as the medical supplies, equipment and humanitarian infrastructure on which their work depends,” Dr Perehinets added.

The agency’s support in Ukraine includes emergency response, assistance with trauma care, medical supply provision, energy resilience and developing the capacity to manage chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents.

WHO’s 2026 Ukraine appeal seeks $42 million to support 700,000 people. Continued funding is important to sustaining emergency health operations, maintaining access to essential services, replenishing medical supplies and strengthening preparedness.