WHO reports more than 3,200 attacks on Ukraine’s healthcare system since the full-scale invasion

Key points

• Attacks on humanitarian warehouses in Ukraine have destroyed medical supplies intended for hundreds of thousands of people
• Despite the danger, WHO and UN partners continue to provide aid to hard-to-reach areas while assisting Ukrainian health workers facing severe psychological stress.
• New attacks overnight killed at least 12 civilians and damaged more aid depots, prompting new UN calls for a ceasefire

Attacks like these undermine the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide support to people in need.

“In 2026, 20 attacks were recorded on warehouses containing humanitarian aid, including 13 warehouses where health supplies were stored,” said Dr, Habicht.

“WHO faced similar attacks in Kyiv in July and Dnipro in August, which resulted in the loss of large amounts of medicine and equipment intended to help 225,000 people,” he added.

Despite difficult and dangerous conditions, WHO and its partners continue to provide humanitarian assistance, provide consultations and support Ukraine’s health care system.

Delivery in hard to reach areas

So far this year, nine WHO humanitarian convoys and 22 UN interagency convoys, including two that left for the Donetsk region on Friday, delivered medicine, equipment and other medical supplies to more than 50 settlements in hard-to-reach areas.

With WHO support, primary health care teams have provided 13,130 consultations in seven regions of Ukraine over the past eight months.

In areas where pharmacies do not operate, 28,400 people received over-the-counter medication packages this year.

“As part of WHO’s comprehensive humanitarian response, we are supporting health systems by providing equipment and supplies to more than 300 health facilities – including primary health care centres, hospitals, laboratories and transit points – enabling them to help three million people,” said Dr. Habicht.

Medical staff face enormous stress

The WHO representative also said that the war placed a heavy burden on Ukrainian medical workers.

A recent WHO study found that more than a quarter of doctors and nurses reported symptoms consistent with depressive disorders, and one in five health workers showed signs of anxiety disorders.

“Our job is to implement additional measures and support tools for those who help people and save lives,” said Dr. Habicht.

To support the psychological well-being of healthcare workers, WHO has incorporated elements of psychological first aid and self-care skills into ambulance crew training programs. More than 40 specialists from 11 regions have completed the training.

The organization also runs programs for primary health and rehabilitation professionals, with more than 700 health workers taking part.

Participants demonstrated significant improvements in psychological well-being and performance as well as reductions in symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Preparing for winter

Dr Habicht warned that Ukraine faces another difficult winter, and WHO is doing everything possible to help Ukraine prepare for the winter.

To ensure the smooth running of medical services, the UN health agency has installed 30 heating systems in medical facilities.

Another 22 are planned to be installed before winter, WHO said.

Part of a wider pattern

Authorities said attacks in Ukraine between yesterday and early this morning had killed at least 12 civilians and injured more than 65 others, and frontline areas were hardest hit, UN Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday.

Other UN agencies reported new attacks on their aid depositories, including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which said the attack in the Kyiv region hit one of its warehouses, destroying humanitarian supplies that would hamper vital aid deliveries ahead of winter.

“This is part of a wider pattern, with at least six warehouses belonging to humanitarian operations affected by attacks in Ukraine this month,” Dujarric said.

“We reiterate, once again, the Secretary-General’s condemnation of the large-scale missile and drone attacks by the armed forces of the Russian Federation on urban centers in Ukraine,” the UN Spokesperson said, repeating the UN Secretary-General’s call for immediate de-escalation, leading to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.