This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28751447
The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Russia 'sends aid mission to eastern Ukraine' | Russia 'sends aid mission to eastern Ukraine' |
(35 minutes later) | |
Almost 300 lorries of humanitarian aid have left the Moscow area bound for eastern Ukraine, Russia has said. | Almost 300 lorries of humanitarian aid have left the Moscow area bound for eastern Ukraine, Russia has said. |
Russian media said the cargo, including hundreds of tonnes of grain, baby food, power generators and medicine, will go to civilians trapped by fighting in the area held by pro-Russia rebels. | Russian media said the cargo, including hundreds of tonnes of grain, baby food, power generators and medicine, will go to civilians trapped by fighting in the area held by pro-Russia rebels. |
Russian officials said the Ukrainian government had agreed to the operation. | |
Western powers have warned Russia not to use humanitarian assistance as a pretext to invade eastern Ukraine. | |
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia was launching a humanitarian mission in co-operation with the International Red Cross. | |
The Red Cross had acknowledged the situation in eastern Ukraine was critical with thousands of people reported to be without access to water, electricity and medical aid. | |
It said it had agreed in principle to such an operation, but made it clear the practical details needed to be clarified first. | |
Media reports said the cargo left the town of Naro-Fominsk, south-west of Moscow, on Tuesday morning. | |
"The convoy will deliver to the residents of eastern Ukraine about 2,000 tonnes of humanitarian cargo, collected by the residents of Moscow city and region," Moscow region officials said. | |
At least 1,500 people have died since Ukraine's new government sent in troops to put down an insurrection by pro-Russia separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in mid-April. | |
Pro-Russia separatists sparked a four-month battle with Ukrainian government forces when they overran large swathes of the east and declared independence from Ukraine. | |
The fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have fled to Russia. | |
Ukrainian forces have now encircled Donetsk, a city of one million people before the unrest began, and residents are struggling without power or reliable sources of food. | |
The fighting has prevented a full investigation of the MH17 air disaster, in which 298 people died. | |
The Malaysia Airlines plane was brought down in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine on 17 July and the remains of many of the victims are still to be recovered. | |
It is strongly suspected that the plane was shot down by pro-Russian rebels. Russia and the separatists have blamed the Ukrainian military. | |
Speaking on Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he hoped to find a way for Ukraine to work with Russia to help bring about a formal investigation into the crash. |