A blow to Kyiv’s pharmaceutical logistics: will Ukraine be left without insulin and oncology drugs?
28 October 2025 17:29
After the Russian attack on the Optima-Pharm warehouse, there will be no shortage of medicines in Ukraine. This was announced on October 28 on the air of the national telethon “United News” by Deputy Minister of Health Edem Adamanov, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
He confirmed that the Russian Armed Forces had attacked one of the country’s two largest pharmaceutical distributors. However, according to the government, a systemic shortage of medicines in Ukraine is not currently expected.
“We are launching a reserve buffer warehouse that will take over the volumes that this warehouse used to supply directly… Therefore, no shortage is expected,” the deputy head of the relevant ministry reassured.
Adamanov explained that other distributors are reconfiguring their routes to cover the regions served by the destroyed hub.
“Distributors, realizing the situation, are reconfiguring their routes to lend a hand and help cover the regions that were now covered by this warehouse in order to avoid shortages,” the official said.
How the government will monitor the shortage of medicines
After the critical incidents, they have already started to form a coordination headquarters. It is managed by the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control, which receives daily data from the largest distributors and pharmacy chains on the shortage of certain medicines in the regions.
If a defect occurs, the routes are promptly redirected to cover the demand on the spot.
Priority groups that are monitored in the first place:
- insulin
- oncology drugs
- painkillers
- antibiotics.
The priority is insulin, oncology drugs, painkillers and antibiotics,” Adamanov emphasized.
Will the “Affordable Medicines” program work in the near future?
Optima-Pharm, one of the major suppliers to pharmacies operating under the Affordable Medicines program, was affected.
The Ministry of Health emphasized:
“This does not mean that there will be no supply of these medicines… A buffer warehouse has been launched, and other distributors have picked up the routes so that no central region of Ukraine will experience a shortage.
What will the government do in case of new attacks on pharmaceutical logistics?
The Deputy Minister of Health emphasized that if drones or missiles of the Russian Armed Forces destroy another large warehouse or the situation becomes critical, the Government is ready to offer quick regulatory solutions:
- simplification of storage conditions for temporary sites;
- express licensing of warehouses and obtaining GDP certificates;
- simplification of imports of medicines to meet the needs in a timely manner.
In addition, Ukraine has significant domestic pharmaceutical production capacity, which partially reduces dependence on external supplies. At the same time, the EU and the US are the key sources of innovative original medicines. If necessary, humanitarian supplies from pharmaceutical companies and international organizations are included, which helps to cover the most sensitive positions.
What to expect in the coming weeks
While there is no threat of systemic shortages, operational disruptions are possible. After all, not only the warehouse but also the office was destroyed during the strike. And these are operational processes.
Therefore, the company will need at least two weeks to reconfigure its processes. There may be interruptions in one or another pharmacy, but this does not mean a shortage. Absolutely all routes will be redirected to meet the demand where it arises,” said Edem Adamanov.
What signals in the drug market should be monitored in the near future
It is important for the professional audience to monitor several indicators:
- order fulfillment time in chain and independent pharmacies;
- frequency of defects by priority groups (insulin, oncology drugs, etc.)
- re-routing and temporary use of alternative warehouses;
- price fluctuations at the retail level if the logistical pressure is prolonged;
- insurance cases and reimbursement of losses that affect distributors’ investment decisions regarding duplication of hubs and geographical diversification.
Attack on pharmaceutical logistics on October 25: what you need to know
The Russian attack on Kyiv on October 25 destroyed one of the country’s main medical warehouses. The attack targeted the office and logistics complex of Ukraine’s second largest pharmaceutical distributor, a company that provided 20% of the monthly supply of medicines across the country.
The amount of damage caused by the attack is close to $100 million.
This is the second attack on the company this year. In August 2025, a Russian missile also destroyed Optima-Pharm’s warehouses. The attack damaged not only the infrastructure but also critical stocks of medicines for hospitals and pharmacies.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
This has created real threats to the Ukrainian pharmaceutical market. Large pharmaceutical distributors concentrate significant stocks, delivery routes and IT operations in their warehouses. The loss of one such hub potentially means
- temporary disruption of supply chains to certain regions;
- pressure on the logistics of other players who “replace” the lost capacity;
- increased need for prompt redistribution of stocks between pharmacy chains.
In practice, this means that certain items may be delivered with delays or in limited quantities. In addition, pharmacies will move goods between their outlets more frequently to equalize the availability of medicines. In this regard, patients may be redirected to neighboring pharmacies within the networks.
Thus, the October 25 strike really hit a critical link in the pharmaceutical logistics, but the market remains resilient thanks to the backup capacity of the affected company, mutual insurance of other distributors and daily monitoring of the defect by the State Administration on Medicines.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
