A Russian missile strike has destroyed $2.6m (£1.9m) worth of HIV prevention supplies in Ukraine, according to an international aid group.
The Alliance for Public Health said the attack on Sunday night near Kyiv hit a warehouse holding 62 million prevention items earmarked for Ukraine’s harm reduction programmes next year. It includes syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, and condoms intended to support more than 300,000 people.
“This is not just another strike. It is an attack on 300,000 Ukrainians who depend on HIV prevention services and on their fundamental right to health,” said Andriy Klepikov, executive director of the Alliance for Public Health.
Efforts to prevent the spread of HIV rely heavily on harm reduction programmes that supply sterile syringes and needles to people who inject drugs, alongside condoms and other supplies that help curb sexual transmission.
Mr Klepikov said the destruction of the warehouse would not immediately disrupt services, because his organisation had moved its supplies for the rest of the year out of central storage and into regional distribution centres several weeks ago as part of contingency planning.
“Russia failed,” he said, adding that the Alliance had notified international partners and appealed for urgent support to rebuild next year’s inventory.