ROSTOV ON DON, August 20. /ITAR-TASS/. The first eight trucks with Russian humanitarian aid for south-eastern regions of Ukraine have begun customs clearance procedures at the border crossing point with Ukraine in the southern Rostov region, a customs official said on Wednesday.

“The first eight vehicles from the convoy entered the Donetsk border crossing point of the Millerovo customs department at 20:25 Moscow time. They are undergoing customs procedures now,” Rayan Farukshin, spokesperson for the Southern Customs Department,” told ITAR-TASS.

The border crossing point, where they will have to be examined and customs cleared, is about 100 metres away from the place where the trucks were standing.

On August 12, about 270 trucks with almost 2,000 tonnes of relief supplies left the Moscow region, heading for the Ukrainian border. It arrived in the southern Rostov region bordering Ukraine on August 14 and has been there since then.

Ukraine and Russia have agreed the procedure for examining and customs clearing the cargo: each truck will be accompanied by a Red Cross official, and Russian and Ukrainian customs officers will examine and seal the trucks before they cross the border.