Russian aid convoy heads for Ukraine amid doubts over lorries' contents

[dipsydoodle]

15. 280-truck Russian aid convoy set to reach Ukraine border within hours

A huge Russian convoy allegedly carrying humanitarian aid was expected to reach the Ukrainian border on Wednesday afternoon, in an operation the west fears may be a prelude to a Russian invasion but which Moscow insists is designed to relieve the suffering of besieged residents trapped by conflict.

About 280 military trucks hastily repainted white by Russian soldiers trundled off from the Moscow region on Tuesday despite a lack of international agreement over where exactly they were heading or what they contained.

Ukraine said it would not allow the convoy to enter its territory. The prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said on Wednesday that Ukraine would only accept humanitarian aid from the Red Cross and within the framework of international law. He also promised his government would spend 10m hryvnia (£450,000) on vital supplies for eastern Ukraine and ordered several ministries to form Kiev's own humanitarian convoy.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – informed by Moscow last week of a possible shipment – said the mode of transporting the aid safely to those who needed it had yet to be worked out.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/russia-aid-convoy-reach-ukraine-within-hours