Luhansk starts distributing Russian humanitarian aid

World August 25, 2014, 12:58

“Humanitarian aid will be distributed at 28 outlets at the place of residence,” Luhansk People’s Republic press office said

LUHANSK, August 25./ITAR-TASS/. Authorities in the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) have started to distribute humanitarian aid delivered by Russia, the LPR press office reported on Monday.

A convoy of over 260 Russian trucks delivered more some 2,000 tons of foodstuffs, water, baby food and medications to besieged Luhansk residents on Friday.

“Humanitarian aid will be distributed at 28 outlets at the place of residence,” the press office said, adding the aid distribution centers would work taking into account the city’s possible shelling by the Ukrainian army.

The Russian convoy has delivered enough foodstuffs and humanitarian aid packages will be handed out for free, according to the lists of residents, the LPR press office said.

The concluding stage of Russia’s humanitarian aid delivery to the war-torn east Ukraine took slightly more than 24 hours.

The Russian trucks that had stood for more than a week at the border with Ukraine started moving to Luhansk on Friday afternoon. Several hours later, the Russian convoy delivered humanitarian aid to the city, with no incidents registered along the route.

On Saturday, the Russian humanitarian convoy returned to Russia.

Russia’s Emergencies Deputy Minister Eduard Chizhikov said that both Russian and Ukrainian customs officers and border guards took part in the trucks’ inspection as they were crossing back into Russia from Ukraine.

The quick return of the Russian humanitarian convoy from east Ukraine has dispelled speculations about a possible “Russian intrusion” into Ukraine, the US online portal Globalpost reported.

The delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged Luhansk ended as quickly as it began and was done without any provocations, which could have been used as a pretext for Russia’s alleged military intervention as some critics asserted, Globalpost wrote.

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