Luhansk to be final point for aid convoy — Donetsk Republic vice-premier

World August 12, 2014, 15:54

The humanitarian supplies include foodstuffs, baby food, medicines and water

DONETSK, August 12./ITAR-TASS/. Luhansk will be a final destination point for humanitarian aid delivery to southeast Ukraine residents, Vice-Premier of the self proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Andrei Purgin said on Tuesday.

Russia’s convoy of trucks with humanitarian supplies for the population of southeast Ukraine set out early on Tuesday morning from the Moscow Region. The humanitarian supplies include foodstuffs, baby food, medicines and drinking water.

“The convoy is moving to Luhansk through Kharkov and will most likely stop in the town of Schastye [a Luhansk suburb]. If everything proceeds normally, combat operations will be halted there. We don’t have any other details right now,” the DPR vice-premier said.

Humanitarian aid distribution in Lugansk may be complicated due to the complete absence of communications with the city and its destroyed infrastructure, he said.

“It is not clear whom this aid will be handed over as the city has been severely damaged. There is no electricity or communications there,” he said.

The humanitarian convoy is moving to the region actually without any notice received by Luhansk, the DPR vice-premier said.

“This means that the convoy will bring the aid and will then try to hand it over to someone on the spot,” he said.

There are currently about 250,000 people staying in Luhansk, according to the city council’s data. They are forced to live amid incessant armed clashes between local self-defense fighters and the Ukrainian army, and also without water and electricity.

The aid convoy includes 280 trucks delivering 2 tons of basic necessities for southeast Ukraine residents. The Moscow Region administration said the humanitarian cargo included 400 tons of groats, 100 tons of sugar, 62 tons of baby food, 54 tons of medicines and medical items, 12,000 sleeping bags and 69 electric power units of various capacity.

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