Russian strike destroys UNHCR warehouse in Dnipro, killing two and destroying $1 million in aid

A Russian missile strike on a UNHCR warehouse in Dnipro on May 20 destroyed about 900 pallets of essential relief items and temporary shelter materials worth more than $1 million, killing at least two people and injuring several others, the UN agency reported.

UNHCR representative in Ukraine Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth said the strike was the first time a UNHCR facility had been targeted since the start of the full-scale invasion. "It is significant for us, because it is the first time that a UNHCR facility is being targeted or attacked," Castel-Hollingsworth told Reuters.

The supplies, including sleeping mats and hygiene kits, were intended for distribution among internally displaced people and war-affected residents in frontline regions of Ukraine. Nearly 47,000 evacuees have passed through UNHCR transit centers since the beginning of 2026, many of them elderly or with limited mobility.

UNHCR stated the attack is part of a broader pattern of strikes against humanitarian convoys. Last week, two UN humanitarian convoys were attacked by Russian drones: one delivering aid in the Dnipropetrovsk region and another in the Kherson region. A UN World Food Programme warehouse in Dnipro was also damaged in a Russian drone attack on November 19.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said attacks on humanitarian convoys are unacceptable. "The repeated attacks against humanitarians on duty are a clear violation of international law. Civilians and humanitarians must never be targets," UNHCR stressed.

According to data from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, at least 815 Ukrainian civilians were killed and 4,174 injured during the first four months of 2026 – a 21% increase compared to the same period last year.