Ukraine’s healthcare is taking a beating. Russian attacks have wrecked key medical warehouses, wiping out hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of medicine. This is disrupting deliveries to pharmacies and hospitals across the country. These warehouses, which supply most pharmacies in Ukraine, have been hit hard lately. In October and December alone, around $200 million in medical supplies were lost in two strikes.
One of the worst hits was on December 6th. A major drug warehouse in Dnipro was destroyed by a Russian air strike. The fire burned about $110 million worth of medicine, roughly 30% of Ukraine’s monthly needs.
Dmytro Babenko, who runs the BADM drug distributor, said it was a missile and drone attack. The missiles missed, but the drones hit, causing a fire that destroyed everything. BADM is one of two major companies that supply about 85% of Ukraine’s pharmacies. The other, Optima Pharm, has also been hit repeatedly. Their warehouses were struck three times this year: August 28th, October 25th, and November 15th.
The October attack destroyed Optima Pharm’s main warehouse in Kyiv, costing the company over $100 million, according to its CFO, Artem Suprun.
Russia says they aren’t aiming at civilian stuff. When Optima Pharm’s warehouse was hit in October, Moscow claimed they were only targeting a drone factory. When the BADM warehouse went down, Russia said they hit a warehouse with military equipment, plus energy and transport facilities. This destruction is making it harder to treat the sick and wounded in Ukraine, especially after nearly four years of war.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which used the Dnipro warehouse, said they lost about $195,000 in medicine and supplies in the attack. That amount could have helped 30,000 people. Andriy Moskalenko, the IRC’s country director, said the scene was awful, and all that medicine was gone in a flash.
BADM’s Dmytro Babenko said the strike destroyed vital medicine they import. He said things are tough, but he’s hopeful they can keep the situation under control. He expects supplies to return to normal in about a month and does not anticipate shortages.
Ukraine says Russia is intentionally hitting hospitals, ambulances, and medical workers. Russia denies this. Kyiv says over 2,500 medical buildings have been damaged or destroyed since the war started. More than 500 doctors, nurses, and other medical staff have been killed. The World Health Organization said there have been 2,763 attacks on Ukraine’s healthcare since the war began. Attacks increased by 12% in 2025, putting even more strain on an already struggling system.
