“Absolutely unacceptable,” WFP chief Cindy McCain tweeted on Tuesday, a day after the airstrike. “These deliberate attacks MUST end. Aid workers and humanitarian resources are not a target.”
The U.N. agency said Monday that a warehouse used for its humanitarian operations “was target of a precision-guided Iskander ballistic missile,” marking the second time the facility has been attacked in six months.
The warehouse was store enough humanitarian food assistance to support 130,000 people living near the front lineswith an estimated value of around $1.4 million.
Aid under attack
“This is the second time this warehouse has been attacked. In November 2025, it was damaged by a drone attack,” said Richard Ragan, WFP representative in Ukraine.
“During the last 18 months, The WFP has recorded more than 84 incidents affecting their warehouses, vehicles, distribution points and the assets of their local humanitarian partners throughout Ukraine,” he added.
He stressed that attacking humanitarian workers during a conflict is a crime and a violation of international humanitarian law.
Feeding thousands monthly
Following the attack, WFP teams were on site to assess the full extent of the damage and all personnel were marked safe.
Despite growing security risks, the agency said its teams continue to provide critical food and cash assistance to nearly 600,000 people each month in Ukraine’s frontline regions.
Massive attack in Kyiv
The incident occurred a day after Russia carried out a massive drone and missile attack on the capital kyiv and neighboring regions, which killed two people and injured 90.
UN aid workers said it was one of the largest combined airstrikes against the country since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022.
Russia has warned that it will carry out more attacks in the city, according to media reports.
‘This nonsense has to stop’
The UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, visited one of the places affected by Monday’s attack and recorded a video that was posted on social media.
He noted that “the entire market was set on fire” and a nearby subway station, where people were taking shelter, was affected.
He recalled that the attack occurred 10 days after the bombing that left 24 dead in the city and said that “this nonsense has to stop.”
Aside from kyiv, attacks in Ukraine and border hostilities between May 22 and 25 killed nearly 20 and injured more than 200 other civilians, with Kherson, Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions reportedly hit repeatedly.
Humanitarian services provided immediate emergency support following the attacks.
More civilian casualties
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is now in its fifth year.
UN human rights monitors recently reported that more people were killed and injured in Ukraine during the first quarter of 2026 than in the same period in any of the last three years.
At least 238 civilians were killed and 1,404 injured in April, bringing the number of verified civilian casualties in 2026 at that time to 815 dead and 4,174 injured.
These figures represented a 21 percent increase compared to January-April 2025and an increase of 93 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
UN partners also report that between January and April of this year, at least 62 incidents affecting humanitarian personnel, vehicles, supplies and facilities were recorded across the country.