The Russian humanitarian convoy could start moving in Ukraine within hours, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Operations in Europe and Central Asia Laurent Corbaz has said.
At the current stage, the convoy is at the border in Russia awaiting customs clearance and it emerged several minutes ago that these procedures had begun and will continue in the near future, Corbaz told reporters in Moscow.
It is possible that the convoy could start work within several hours, Corbaz said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian border guards and customs officers have started the clearance of the Russian humanitarian cargo at the Donetsk checkpoint in the Rostov region, the Ukrainian State Border Service press office said.
“At 14:15 p.m. (15:15 p.m. Moscow time) Ukraine started border and customs clearance of the Russian humanitarian cargo,” the Border Service press office told Interfax.
It has been reported that, upon agreement with Ukraine and under the aegis of the ICRC, Russia has sent humanitarian cargo for residents of south-eastern Ukraine, including food, medications, power-generating equipment. Furthermore, Russia has complied with the wishes of Ukraine on the convoy route, cargo inspection and other aspects of the humanitarian operation.
According to information from the Russian Foreign Ministry, the convoy involves 262 vehicles, and 198 trucks are loaded with supplies and power generators with a total weight of 1,809.9 tonnes. The cargo includes 69 power generators, 400 tonnes of grains, 340 tonnes of meat preserves, 30 tonnes of salt, 100 of tonnes sugar, 60 tonnes of dairy preserves, 0.8 tonnes of tea, 679.5 tonnes of bottled water, 62.4 tonnes of baby food, 54 tonnes of medical supplies, and 12,300 sleeping bags.
The convoy with the humanitarian aid for residents of eastern Ukraine departed from Naro-Fominsk in the Moscow region on August 12 and arrived at the Russian-Ukrainian border in the Rostov region on August 15. The ICRC mission in Ukraine is the receiver of the humanitarian cargo.
On August 17, Ukrainian Minister of Social Policy Lyudmyla Denisova signed a decree recognizing the Russian cargo under the ICRC aegis as humanitarian aid. On August 16, the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy received the letter, listing the items in the humanitarian aid and signed by the head of the ICRC regional delegation in Russia, Belarus and Moldova Pascal Cuttat.
For a long time Kyiv refused to recognize the non-military character of the Russian aid. Ukraine had organizational and procedural issues over the Russian humanitarian initiative. Besides, until recently the Kyiv authorities did not provided ICRC representatives with safety guarantees for the route across the Luhansk region agreed earlier.
