Russian humanitarian convoy enters Ukraine en route to Lugansk

Several dozen trucks in the Russian humanitarian convoy have crossed the Ukrainian border and started moving in the direction of Lugansk, after Moscow ordered the convoy to proceed, without waiting for further permission from Kiev. ● Moscow has accused Kiev of deliberately holding up the delivery of Russian humanitarian aid to the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine, according to a new statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry. “Our convoy with humanitarian aid is starting to move in the direction of Lugansk,” the Foreign Ministry's statement reads. “We are of course ready for it to be accompanied by Red Cross representatives and for their participation in the aid’s distribution.” A third of the Russian humanitarian convoy, which is around 90 trucks, has now reportedly crossed the border with Ukraine. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is not escorting the convoy. “That’s because of the problems with security,” Galina Balzamova of the ICRC told RT. “Lugansk was shelled all night long. We believe we did not get sufficient guarantees of safety from all the parties to the conflict to start escorting the convoy.” The head of the Russian Red Cross, Raisa Lukutsova, has said the organization supported the decision to get the humanitarian convoy moving.

Stephen Lendman ■ Russian Humanitarian Aid Reaches Lugansk || Kiev putschists blocked vitally needed humanitarian aid for days. They did so for spurious reasons. They did it to impose greater hardships on desperate Southeastern Ukrainians. They did it to deprive them of essentials to life. They did it to facilitate their genocidal aggression. They did it with full support and encouragement from Washington. Enough is enough. On August 22, Itar Tass headlined "Russia's 70 trucks with humanitarian cargo proceed toward toward Ukraine's Luhansk," saying: They cleared customs. They entered Ukrainian territory. They headed for Lugansk. They did so on a mission of mercy. They carried food, water, medical supplies and other vitally needed aid. Kiev claims about a Trojan Horse convoy of weapons were spurious on their face. It used this and other fabricated reasons to block aid as long as possible. It's response on the ground is unclear. It bears watching to see what follows.

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