Ukraine under attack: Hundreds of bulletproof vests destined for Ukraine, stolen in Manhattan

Hundreds of bulletproof vests, destined for war-torn Ukraine, were stolen in New York, police and the organisation said Thursday (March 17). The vests were donated by officers.

Around 400 bulletproof vests, that were supposed to help Ukraine against the ongoing invasion by Russia, have been stolen in Manhattan.

NY Police Department spokeswoman Lieutenant Jessica McRorie said that the theft occurred at the headquarters of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA).

McRorie said that when police arrived at the site on Wednesday, they learned that "approximately 400 bulletproof vests were removed from the location."

She added that "there are no arrests and the investigation is ongoing." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for UCCA said a smaller number of vests, about 300, were missing from the group's Manhattan location. "We don't know... why, how" the robbery occurred, or who would have committed it, the spokesperson told AFP.

The group said, the vests were donated by the police on Long Island, New York and were to be sent to aid workers who would deliver them by truck throughout Ukraine.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to escalate with each day passing, with reports of civilians dying due to bombings and shellings.

Journalists, who are risking their lives to bring reports from ground zero, are also facing the same issue. In the attacks, some of the journalists have also died.

Recently, the United Nations' cultural agency said on Thursday (March 17) it would provide bulletproof vests and helmets to journalists working in Ukraine after the deaths of several reporters covering Russia's invasion.

UNESCO will also organise online training courses for working in combat zones and first aid. It is also trying to provide in-person training soon for journalists in Lviv, the western city where many media organisations have moved as the capital Kyiv is besieged.

"Journalists and media workers are risking their lives in Ukraine to provide life-saving information to local populations and inform the world of the reality of this war," UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said in a statement.

WATCH |30,000 evacuated from the city of Mariupol amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine