UN considers underground aid bunkers in Ukraine as Russian strikes escalate

The United Nations is considering moving humanitarian aid supplies underground in Ukraine to protect them from Russian strikes, the UN humanitarian coordinator said on Tuesday.The strikes have hit 10 UN warehouses this year, destroying supplies worth millions of dollars.“These deliberate attacks on warehousing capacities, is a new trend of the last few months,” UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale told Reuters in Geneva after briefing states on Ukraine’s humanitarian needs in the fifth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion.He said the organisation was considering moving aid supplies into underground bunkers and delaying purchases until the last possible moment to minimise their 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 added, noting that such additional costs had not been factored into the UN’s $2.3 billion aid budget for 2026.Schmale said one of the World Health Organization’s main warehouses containing medical supplies was hit earlier this month, while other strikes destroyed hygiene kits and school supplies for children.He said the UN was investing in equipment to protect staff, including additional armoured vehicles and drone-detection devices.The organisation is also considering expanding support for Ukrainian requests for mobile drone shelters in public areas, such as near bus stops, as civilian casualties continue to rise.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.