UN refugee agency says $1m worth of aid lost in Russian missile strike in Ukraine that killed two
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Firefighters working at the site of a Russian missile strike, in Dnipro, Ukraine, on May 20.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- A Russian missile destroyed a UNHCR warehouse in Dnipro, Ukraine on May 20, killing two and destroying US$1 million of aid.
- The warehouse held critical emergency shelter materials and hygiene kits, depriving war-affected people of vital assistance.
- UNHCR stated this was its first targeted facility, part of a broader trend of Russian attacks on humanitarian convoys.
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GENEVA - The United Nations refugee agency on May 22 said it had lost US$1 million (S$1.2 million) worth of aid when a Russian missile struck one of its warehouses in Dnipro in eastern Ukraine earlier this week.
The warehouse, which contained emergency shelter materials, including sleeping mats, and hygiene kits was destroyed on May 20, and two people were killed, Ms Bernadette Castel-Hollingworth, the UNCHR Representative in Kyiv, said via video link from Poland.
The supplies were destined to be distributed to displaced and war-affected people in front-line areas in Ukraine, and deprive people of critical assistance at a time of significant need as forced displacement and evacuations continue from front-line regions, according to UNHCR.
“It is significant for us, because it is the first time that a UNHCR facility is being targeted or attacked,” Ms Castel-Hollingworth said.
UNHCR said it was part of a broader trend of attacks on humanitarian convoys.
Last week, two clearly marked UN convoys with humanitarian workers were hit by drones: one truck was delivering aid in the Dnipropetrovsk region, while a convoy on the way to Ostriv in the Kherson region was also targeted, UNHCR said. REUTERS
