11:29 12.08.2014

Convoy with Russian humanitarian aid will cross Ukraine's border in Kharkiv region - Kuchma

2 min read
Convoy with Russian humanitarian aid will cross Ukraine's border in Kharkiv region - Kuchma

The convoy with humanitarian aid for Luhansk sent by Russia under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross will enter Ukrainian territory through a customs checkpoint in Kharkiv region, former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

"The Contact Group decided at a session on Monday that the humanitarian aid will be delivered through Kharkiv region. A route to Luhansk has been determined as well," he said.

"This aid will be provided under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Representatives of the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] are accompanying the convoy," Kuchma said.

The trilateral Contact Group discussed the matter during a video link-up on August 11. Representatives of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR) took part in it, but members of the "Luhansk People's Republic" (LPR) were absent.

Both the supplies sent by Russia and "aid [provided] by Ukraine, the EU and the U.S." will be delivered to Luhansk, Kuchma said.

"The way this aid will be distributed is highly important. First and foremost, it should be provided to hospitals, kindergartens, orphanages and other people who need it. The militants must not receive even a gram," he said, adding that ICRC representatives would handle the distribution of the aid.

According to earlier reports, a convoy carrying humanitarian aid intended for Ukraine's eastern regions left the town of Naro-Fominsk, outside of Moscow, on Tuesday morning and is now heading toward Russia's southwestern border.

A Moscow region administration spokesman has said that "the convoy of vehicles will deliver some 2,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies collected by Muscovites and residents of the Moscow region to people in eastern Ukraine."

As many as 280 KamAZ trucks are carrying the cargo, including 400 tonnes of cereal, 100 tonnes of sugar, 62 tonnes of baby food, 54 tonnes of medical equipment and medication, 12,000 sleeping bags, and 69 portable power generators.

The Rostov region authorities have announced that the humanitarian convoy will arrive in the Rostov region.

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