Ukraine’s State Border Service spokesperson Oleh Slobodyan told Interfax on Nov. 24 that yet another so-called Russian humanitarian convoy of 47 trucks entered the territories of Donbas, occupied by Russian-backed mercenaries.”Two columns of trucks crossed the Russian checkpoints, Donetsk and Matveyev Kurgan, from 05:55 to 07:10 local time,”
“Two columns of trucks crossed the Russian checkpoints, Donetsk and Matveyev Kurgan, from 05:55 a.m to 07:10 a.m local time,” Slobodyan said.
Russia for the 58th time violated all international and Ukrainian rules of handling humanitarian cargo. A group of Ukrainian representatives, including the State Border Service and the State Fiscal Service, were only able to “monitor without inspection,” added.
During the monitoring, the Ukrainian observers saw most of the vehicles carrying foods and medicines. “At the same time, the trucks were half-empty, and their number does not coincide with the one mentioned in the Russian Foreign Ministry’s preliminary notification.”
“At the same time, the trucks were half-empty, and their number does not coincide with the one mentioned in the Russian Foreign Ministry’s preliminary notification before,” Slobodyan said.
He also said that the monitoring had not revealed any military equipment.
“In my belief, there is no point in the use by Russia of these ‘humanitarian’ convoys for transportation of military freight. Their task is to show a picture on Russian TV that Russia allegedly performs an important humanitarian mission in the eastern Ukrainian regions it itself has occupied, added the officer.
The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry has reported the convoy delivered over 400 tons of ‘humanitarian’ aid to Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.
All trucks have passed customs and border control at the Donetsk and Matveyev-Kurgan checkpoints and headed for Donetsk and Luhansk after being cleared by customs, the ministry said.
In all, the Russian ministry has sent 58 truck convoys to Donbas since August 2014.
