Warehouses supplying the vast majority of Ukraine's pharmacies have been destroyed in a series of Russian attacks over recent months.
Medical supplies worth about $200 million (£145 million) were destroyed in just two strikes in December and October.
A large warehouse storing medicines in the city of Dnipro was destroyed in a Russian air strike on 6 December, resulting in the loss of approximately $110 million of medicines, which is estimated to be about 30% of Ukraine's monthly supply.
It was a missile and drone strike against our facility. The missiles flew past, but the drones hit it, stated Dmytro Babenko, the acting director-general of pharmaceutical distributor BADM.
They caused a fire which unfortunately proved impossible to contain and the whole facility was destroyed. BADM is one of two companies that supply about 85% of Ukrainian pharmacies.
The other company, Optima Pharm, suffered three strikes this year, including an October attack that destroyed its main storage facility in Kyiv, costing the company over $100 million.
Despite Russia denying the targeting of civilian facilities, when the Optima Pharm warehouse was hit, Russian defense officials claimed they targeted a factory for drones.
On the day of the BADM attack, Russia justified their actions as hitting a warehouse storing military equipment, along with energy and transport infrastructure.
These attacks complicate treatment for the sick and wounded in Ukraine after nearly four years of war.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) reported a loss of $195,000 worth of medication and supplies from the Dnipro warehouse, enough to serve approximately 30,000 people in need.
Furthermore, Babenko remarked about the critical nature of the medicines destroyed, which were imported and cannot be produced in Ukraine.
However, he expressed hope that there would not be significant shortages, stating, We're hoping to restore all supplies in a month or a month-and-a-half.
Ukrainian authorities continue to accuse Russia of intentionally striking healthcare facilities, a claim Moscow has repeatedly denied.
According to Kyiv's government, more than 2,500 medical institutions have been damaged or destroyed, with over 500 medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, killed.
Recent World Health Organization reports recorded 2,763 attacks on Ukraine's healthcare sector since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, with a notable 12% increase in attacks noted this year.
