UN weighs moving Ukraine aid supplies underground after warehouse hits

The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine said on Tuesday his organization is considering moving aid supplies underground to dodge Russian strikes, which have hit 10 of its warehouses this year, destroying millions of dollars’ worth of supplies.

One of the World Health Organization’s main warehouses containing medical supplies was hit earlier this month, and other strikes have destroyed hygiene kits and children’s school supplies, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale told Reuters in Geneva.

“These deliberate attacks on warehousing capacities ... is a new trend of the last few months,” he said, after briefing states on needs in Ukraine in the fifth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

He said they are weighing moving supplies into underground bunkers and are delaying purchases of aid supplies until the last minute to reduce exposure to strikes.

“This feels increasingly like the front line is moving into the air,” he said.

“That means extra cost also to the taxpayers, who at the end of the day pay for the goods that the U.N. and other humanitarians bring in,” he continued, adding that such costs were not foreseen in the body’s $2.3 billion aid budget for 2026.

The U.N. is investing in equipment to protect staff, such as more armored vehicles and drone-detection devices. The organization is also considering the growing Ukrainian requests for mobile drone shelters in the streets, such as near bus shelters, as civilian casualties rise, he said.

联合国驻乌克兰人道主义协调员周二表示，他的组织正在考虑将援助物资转移到地下，以躲避俄罗斯的袭击。今年以来，俄罗斯的袭击已经摧毁了该组织的 10 个仓库，造成价值数百万美元的物资损失。

联合国驻乌克兰人道主义协调员马蒂亚斯·施马勒在日内瓦告诉路透社，世界卫生组织存放医疗用品的主要仓库之一在本月初遭到袭击，其他袭击还摧毁了卫生用品包和儿童学习用品。

“这些蓄意攻击仓储能力的行为……是近几个月来出现的新趋势，”他在向各国通报了俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰五年以来乌克兰的需求后说道。

他说，他们正在考虑将物资转移到地下掩体，并将援助物资的购买推迟到最后一刻，以减少遭受袭击的风险。

他说：“感觉前线越来越像是转移到了空中。”

“这也意味着纳税人要承担额外的成本，因为最终是他们为联合国和其他人道主义组织带来的物资买单，”他继续说道，并补充说，这些成本并未在联合国2026年23亿美元的援助预算中得到预见。

联合国正在投资购置保护工作人员的设备，例如更多的装甲车和无人机探测装置。他还表示，随着平民伤亡人数的增加，该组织也在考虑乌克兰方面日益增长的在街头（例如公交候车亭附近）设置移动式无人机掩体的请求。