The first batch of trucks had passed through Russia’s ‘Donetsk’ checkpoint into the buffer zone shortly before midnight on Friday. Trucks had to wait for several hours to get clearance for further movement from Russian customs officers supervised by their Ukrainian colleagues.
By 3am GMT a total of 100 trucks had been cleared for crossing into Ukraine, local customs spokesman Rayan Farukshin told Ria Novosti.
Around 200 white Kamaz trucks were waiting for their turn to undergo customs proceedings, as the first group moved into Ukrainian territory early on Saturday morning.
Along the route of the convoy, the members of the self-proclaimed republic’s defense forces are ensuring its safety, Itar-Tass reports. Besides that, the convoy that moves toward Lugansk at around 60 kilometers per hour is escorted by road police vehicles.
Residents of war-ravaged eastern Ukraine are living for many weeks on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. The aid delivery is crucial as parts of the country remain blocked by government troops limiting food supplies, while the infrastructure destroyed in shellings left the residents of Lugansk without electricity and drinking water.
This is the second Russian shipment of humanitarian relief for Ukraine, and just like with the first shipment of goods, the Ukrainian authorities are being over-scrupulous in letting the aid in, keeping it at the border. The aid delivery has been delayed because Kiev did not fulfill the preliminary plan coordinated with Russia three weeks ago, Stepanov said. “We've been waiting for Kiev's response,” he said on Thursday.
He described the convoy as carrying about 2,000 tons of foods, medicine, water purification equipment, and power generators and other consignments, all donations from various regions of Russia...................http://rt.com/news/187460-russian-aid-convoy-ukraine/
13/9/14
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A convoy of trucks with Russian humanitarian aid for people living in Ukraine’s Donbass arrived in Lugansk ITAR-TASS correspondent reported...
ReplyDeleteUnloading continues. The trucks have delivered sugar, cereals, food products and everything necessary for the people living in Ukraine’s south-eastern regions.
No incidents happened on the way. The local militia escorted the convoy.
As the convoy entered Lugansk, people welcomed heartily the trucks, waved hands; many of them could not resist tears.
http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/749405
13/9/14