On the night of December 5, two missile strikes hit the Kherson Humanitarian Hub in the South of Ukraine. The hub warehouses contained humanitarian aid from several international humanitarian organisations, including relief items from CARE.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported among the Hub's staff, volunteers, or visitors. The assessment of financial losses is ongoing but remains challenging due to the current situation.
Serhiy Mukoriz, Executive Director of the Charitable Foundation I-Kherson, said:
"For over 12 hours, rescue teams fought the fire. Still, the hub building and the humanitarian aid meant for thousands of residents in Kherson and the surrounding region were destroyed. Currently, our personnel are attempting to salvage the unaffected portion of aid from the surviving structures."
According to Anna Borysova, project manager of CARE's partner organisation 'The Charitable Foundation Stabilization Support Services', intensified shelling had led to the closure of the Hub's entrance since November 30. Consequently, humanitarian organizations were unable to complete distributions or relocate aid to a safer location.
Among the destroyed assistance were non-perishable kits intended to prepare people for winter, mattresses, and warm blankets. The shelling of a humanitarian facility demonstrates a blatant disregard for the principles of humanity and the laws of war.
CARE calls once again on all conflict parties to respect international humanitarian law. Civilian and relief infrastructure must be protected at all times.
Currently, the hub’s leadership is striving to reopen it and resume operations as soon as possible.
Media enquiries
For media enquiries, please contact David Moore, Media Officer at CARE International UK, press.uk@careinternational.org
