RIA Novosti: Red Cross Instructing Russian Humanitarian Convoy Drivers at Ukrainian Border Checkpoint

DONETSK (Rostov Region), August 20 (RIA Novosti) – A convoy carrying Russian humanitarian aid to southeastern Ukraine remains at the border checkpoint with the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) giving instructions to the drivers, a representative of the contractor carrier company transporting the cargo told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

“The Red Cross is dealing with the issues of security, the representatives of the organization are meeting with the drivers and instructing them,” he said.

The representative did not say when the trucks would start moving toward Ukraine. The first 16 trucks are at the Russian Donetsk checkpoint while the rest of the 280-truck convoy remains near the town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky.

Earlier reports suggested the pause might be due to the fact that the Red Cross had not received security guarantees for the convoy to safely drive through the conflict-torn Ukrainian regions to deliver the cargo.

In early August, amid the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine, Russia proposed to send an international humanitarian mission to eastern Ukraine with Russian aid under the auspices of the ICRC.

A convoy carrying about 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid including baby food, medication, grain, sugar and other basic necessities set off from the Moscow Region on August 12 heading towards Ukraine’s conflict areas.