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Developments in eastern Ukraine

ICRC advise local authorities on distribution of Russian aid in Lugansk

GENEVA, August 23. /ITAR-TASS/. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers are advising the local authorities in Lugansk, eastern Ukraine, on the distribution of Russian humanitarian aid delivered to the city on Friday, ICRC spokesperson Anstasiya Isyuk told ITAR-TASS on Saturday.

The ICRC 8-member advance group is sharing expertise and advising the local authorities on how to organise the distribution of the aid, she said.

Russia’s 270 trucks delivered almost 2,000 tonnes of relief supplies to the embattled city of Lugansk on August 22. ICRC officials refused to escort the convoy on its way in Ukraine saying that the security guarantees given to them by the warring sides earlier had not been confirmed.

Isyuk also said that the Red Cross was planning to expand operations in eastern Ukraine, including Lugansk, where the situation remains tense.

“We are planning to expand our activities in Lugansk and eastern Ukraine as a whole. The ICRC team has begun assessing the needs,” she said.

How fast the ICRC will be able to increase its presence in eastern Ukraine will depend on the results of the talks the ICRC advance group, working in Lugansk since August 20, is conducting with the warring sides, Isyuk said.

“They meet constantly with representatives of the warring sides despite continuous shelling, evaluate performance and assess the regions’ needs,” she said.

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Eastern Ukraine

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