Ukrainian customs officers start clearing first trucks of Russian humanitarian convoy

The first trucks with the Russian humanitarian aid to residents of Eastern Ukraine have entered the check line of the "Donetsk" checkpoint of the Millerovo customs, The Ukrainian customs officers have begun clearing the cargos, the Southern Customs Administration of the Russian Federation has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 14 over 250 trucks, sent on August 12 from Moscow to Eastern Ukraine, were stopped near the town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky of the Rostov Region. On August 15, Ukrainian officials began examining the cargos; and on the following day Kiev recognized the convoy as humanitarian aid.

According to customs officers, the total weight of the humanitarian aid is about 2000 tons.

The information about the start of examining the convoy by the Ukrainian party was confirmed by the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) of Ukraine.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the convoy may head on to Lugansk on August 22. According to Laurent Korba, the Head of the ICRC's operations in Europe and Central Asia, the ICRC staff are ready to accompany the consignment "to Lugansk and other parts of South-Eastern Ukraine, where humanitarian aid is needed, and to provide it impartially."