Warehouses supplying a substantial portion of Ukraine's pharmacies have been affected by a series of Russian attacks in recent months. Medical supplies valued at approximately $200 million were reportedly destroyed in two strikes occurring in December and October.
On December 6, a significant medical warehouse in Dnipro was destroyed during a Russian air strike. This incident resulted in the destruction of an estimated $110 million worth of medicines, representing up to 30% of Ukraine's monthly supply. Dmytro Babenko, acting director-general of pharmaceutical distributor BADM, stated that the facility was struck by drones after an initial missile strike, leading to a fire that consumed the complex.
BADM is one of two primary distributors that collectively supply approximately 85% of Ukrainian pharmacies. The other major distributor, Optima Pharm, has had its warehouses hit three times this year: on August 28, October 25, and November 15. The October attack on Optima Pharm's main storage facility in Kyiv reportedly caused losses exceeding $100 million, according to Artem Suprun, the company's chief financial officer.
Russia has denied targeting civilian infrastructure. Following the October strike on Optima Pharm's warehouse, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it had targeted a drone production facility. Similarly, on the day the BADM warehouse was destroyed, Russia reported hitting "a warehouse storing military equipment" alongside energy and transport infrastructure.