$1 million worth of aid destroyed after Russian missile struck UN warehouse in Ukraine

GENEVA- The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said it had lost $1 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 Wednesday, and two people were killed, 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 frontline areas in Ukraine, and deprive people of critical assistance at a time of significant need as forced displacement and evacuations continue from frontline regions, according to UNHCR.

"It is significant for us, because it is the first time that a UNHCR facility is being targeted or attacked," 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.

-Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, editing by Thomas Seythal/Reuters