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THE FIRST LORRIES from Moscow’s controversial aid convoy to rebel-held parts of Ukraine began returning to Russia, OSCE monitors said.
Paul Picard, the acting head of the mission observing the Russian border post known as Donetsk, told AFP that some of the vehicles had begun passing through but could not provide a number. Russian news agencies reported that several dozen had arrived at the border.
The West rebuked Russia for sending scores of trucks from a controversial aid convoy to east Ukraine’s rebel-held Lugansk in a move Kiev described as an “invasion.”
The European Union and the United States demanded that Russia immediately withdraw the convoy, amid fears the cargo could shore up pro-Moscow rebels fighting Kiev’s forces.
Washington warned Russia it could face further sanctions, while the UN Security Council expressed concern the move could lead to an escalation in the four-month conflict.
Some 280 trucks from the Russian convoy had been waiting at the border with Ukraine for a week as Moscow pressed for the aid to be delivered urgently to civilians in areas that have come under Ukrainian shelling.
By evening, the trucks had all reached Lugansk and were unloading their cargo, Russian state television reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said further delay would have been “unacceptable” as he justified the decision in a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who travels to Kiev today for talks with Ukraine’s leadership.
Merkel and US President Barack Obama warned that Moscow’s military presence and shelling were triggering a “dangerous escalation” of the conflict, and they demanded it remove the convoy.
In a telephone call, the pair “agreed that Russia sending a convoy into Ukraine without Ukraine’s approval is a further provocation and a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the White House said.
A first group of trucks reached Lugansk, which has been without water and power for weeks, after making its way along a perilous route from the border, a local official said.
Invasion
Ukraine’s security service head Valentyn Nalyvaychenko condemned the entry as “a direct invasion” but said Ukraine will not order air strikes on the trucks.
Ukraine and Russia each said the other side was responsible for the convoy’s security between the border and rebel bastion Lugansk, 63 kilometres away, and Russia’s foreign ministry warned “against any attempts to disrupt a totally humanitarian mission.”
The UN Security Council met for urgent consultations, at Lithuania’s request, but Russia insisted the aid was desperately needed and accused Ukraine of using stalling tactics.
Aid
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin provided a list of the aid, including electric generators, sugar, tea and baby food, and scoffed at suggestions that these could have military purposes.
Analysts said Moscow is under pressure from the Russian public to show support for the Russian-speaking separatist regions, but that its unannounced convoy gambit was a big risk.
“Now the chances of direct military confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers is substantially higher,” said independent Moscow-based analyst Maria Lipman.
Moscow said it was ready to have Red Cross officials accompany the convoy, but the organisation backed out of the operation because of fierce fighting raging in the area where the trucks are heading.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen called Moscow’s decision an escalation of the Ukraine crisis that “can only lead to Russia’s further isolation.”
The United States urged Moscow to “immediately” withdraw the convoy. “Failure to do so will result in additional costs and isolation,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.
Border guards blocked
Ukraine’s border service said its officials were “blocked” at the Russian checkpoint as the convoy started rolling across the border and had not checked many of the trucks.
UN officials told the Security Council in New York that only 34 of the 280 trucks had been inspected, leaving a question mark over the overwhelming bulk of the cargo.
The first vehicles to cross were met by an escort of rebels driving in minivans.
Lugansk has been under heavy shelling with civilian casualties.
Among the latest casualties was Lithuania’s honorary consul, who was “kidnapped and brutally killed” by the rebels who control the city, Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said.
An “appalled and saddened” European Union said the incident added urgency for “Russia to immediately cease its actions destabilising Ukraine and to join our efforts to restore peace and security in Ukraine.”
After four months of fighting that has cost some 2,200 lives, Ukrainian forces have been steadily gaining ground with the separatists now surrounded in strongholds and street battles erupting in populated areas.
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Dear Journal , I honestly don’t care what Obama and is war criminals have to say about Russia. This constant propaganda aimed at vilifying Russia and striking fear in American people shouldn’t be passed down to people of a neutral state .
In fairness, the Journal are just reporting what the main players are saying & don’t claim any ‘depth’ on the issue.
Here’s a little more info about this regime that US & EU backed in their coup d’etat earlier this year.
First, moves to ban media output via TV, Press or Web without any legal process. (Doubtless this won’t apply to billionaire President Poroshenko who owns the Channel 5 news TV station.)
http://en.rsf.org/ukraine-ukrainian-parliament-approves-very-12-08-2014,46793.html
Then a piece about the rampant oligarch driven corruption of the Kiev regime…
I can quite understand why Eastern Ukrainians feel they don’t want to be ruled by diktat by the criminals in remote Kiev.
Of course US officials will not notice anything untoward – Washington operates on very similar lines to Kiev, or any plutocracy flooded with financial corruption these days.
Mike you forgot to mention the Communist party was banned by the new regime in July even though they had 32 representatives in parliament and won over 2 million votes in the last election. Some democratic revolution that is, the new Kiev regime brings in new rules to dissolve the party of their rivals. You might not like their politics but to outright ban your opponents is not the work of democrats.
The world sits on a knife edge right now, not just here but in the middle east, Africa, Asia, South America and Europe as well. I really believe it’s like a game of chess right now, pawns being sacrificed, I’m just waiting for the many pieces to move. For our generation this is our WW1 and WW2 that could ignite any day now.
At any point in time there have been hundreds of wars raging on this planet, it’s only global media and keener intellect that means we take notice. The world is always on a knife edge; from wars or economic policy or religion.
Actually humans have never lived longer or healthier lives, we are richer than ever and we are more peaceful than ever.
Just because a few thousands people are dying in places like Ukraine or Gaza doesn’t mean violence has increased. The great war of Africa killed 5.4 million people from 1998-2008 in case you didn’t notice. Syria, Libya, Ukraine and Gaza might be 200,000?
Violence is still declining massively.
@ David Burke.. Iraq is nearing 1.5 Million. It won’t get better with an attitude like that.
The US Government send weapons to head hacking terrorists in Syria is no violation of Syrian sovereignty. If Russia sending the Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine is violation of Ukraine sovereignty.
U.S wants all people die in eastern Ukraine. Russia is only helping the people in Ukraine.
Bit of a paranoid conspiracy there.
Nothing paranoid about it it’s the truth, $.5 billion to head hackers in Syria, yup no problem there no condemnation at all, trucks filled with grain and other supplies badly needed by a starving civilian population and it’s an invasion, love a bit of Washington logic don’t ya?
Only 2 says ago 34 civilians killed by indiscriminate shelling by the Ukrainian army, barely a mutter out of the corporate press, shameful, and it’s been that day since day regarding Ukraine, reporting mostly lies and outrageous claims by the Lunatics in Kiev, claims which you unconditionally accept, plonker.
As I said, pretty paranoid there.
Is that all you can muster up David? No real case to make against the truth have you? What’s paranoid about it?
@david it is plain fact the CIA were training and arming Saudis in Syria in Libya……this ISIS bull*** was created by the Intelligence services , just ask yourself where is all the money and arms coming from ? They do not just appear out of thin air…..this madness has to stop , JFK was right , “scatter the CIA into a thousand winds ” look what happened him… the media should be flat out ashamed of themselves for spewing out State Department press releases without question or any kind of objective analysis.
Davis was counselling for a Ukrainian attack on Russia proper via Crimea the other day. He is now calling everyone paranoid. Might I suggest your own policy on this lacks sanity?
Crimea is part of Ukraine. I wasn’t counselling for any attack just pointing out when all the power and water comes from Ukraine it’s going to be a long battle over it.
Of course Ukraine is going to want to expel the Russian forces and the Russians are going to struggle a part of Ukraine which with they have no land border. How do you supply an already parched region with billions of gallons of water? Bring it in by boat?
Yes David. Do you know who supplies Ukraine with its gas?
Russia of course. Who needs the export earnings of their gas sales to prop up their failing economy.
I’d wonder if you’ve ever met any Russian speaking Ukrainians.
Policy is; keep journalists out. Scare the local ethnic russians and hope they leave. Bombing civilian areas works. Lugansk surrounded and no water reminds me of leningrad. Destroy many homes so people have to leave. Make sure of western media boycot so eu populations dont see what is going on. Provide financial support to kiev to keep the military operation going. Shame on merkel, shame on the eu, shame on us…he who is silent consents.
That’s not how Ukrainians see it…..
David opinions are divided in Ukraine. There’s a civil war going on. Do us a favour and don’t pretend to speak for all Ukrainian people.
Sure but it’s Ukrainians against Russians in Ukraine. I’m just wondering if you have ever met a Russian speaking Ukrainian?
Yes I have met many.
For example David I met two Ukrainians from Slavyansk, both of whom were Russian speakers. They had diametrically opposing views. Like I said, opinions very in Ukraine. Btw 20% of Ukrainians are ethnic Russians including a large section of Donbass. Of course now that Crimea has returned to Russia that statistic has changed.
The people of Luhansk have been without running water, electricity and fresh food is at a minimum for the last two months yet the EU and the Ukrainian government have let them suffer without raising a murmur. All the Russian cargo has been checked and it is aid that is badly needed. Just goes to show the priorities of the EU, who couldn’t care less about the suffering of the local population. I say fair play to the Russians for going ahead with the aid, even the head of the IRC said the Ukrainian side were intentionally delaying the convoy for no apparent reason!
34 of 280. Trucks rather than all have been checked just a little fact !
The IRC have has nothing to do with the convoy. The convoy isn’t a serious attempt to help anyone. It’s not filled with blankets, prepared meals, bottled water, first aid kits, essential supplies like that.
It’s a mostly empty trucks with some bags of grain. Some use that.
Patrick those trucks were waiting at the border for over a week, why did the Ukrainian side only check that pitiful number of trucks in that period. They could very easily have checked them all but they were dragging their feet and using delay tactics non stop.
David go the ICRC twitter feed and you will see that they are extremely frustrated at all the delays over the past 2 weeks especially the failure to grant a security guarantee. The ICRC have been pressing the Kiev government for two weeks on whether they would give a security guarantee and they failed to give this to them. Their twitter feed is full of statements venting their frustration at the delays in getting the aid through. They were ready and waiting to go with this convoy but Kiev would not give them the security guarantee knowing that without this the ICRC would not travel with it thus delaying it indefinitely.
Sure it’ll likely be over soon enough anyway. If the west ever gets serious about dealing with Russia they will be deep trouble.
A structurally weak economy which hasn’t modernized at all and living off the natural resources investments of the Soviets. The current fields are maturing and they don’t have the technology or investment to bring the new fields in Eastern Siberia into production. They have signed a deal with the Chinese to provide the finance but the oligarchs are stripping as much capital from the country as they can get away with. Nobody with any sense is leaving capital in Russia, the capital flight has been in the hundreds of billions.
What is Russia going to do? They don’t manufacture anything that anyone wants to buy and their services industry is non-existent. Oil production is going to decline in the next 10 years without heavy investment which nobody is willing to make because of the likelihood of the state appropriating it. The population is collapsing and the life expectancy is lower than that of Bangladesh.
The idea that Russia can take on the west is a fantasy.
David do you ever check your facts? The life expectancy of Russia is 70.8 and Bangladesh is 70.65.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Bangladesh
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Russia
We will have to assume the rest of your posturings above are equally baseless.
I was sorta taking the piss as its close enough. Bangladesh is still one of the poorest countries in the world and regularly end up underwater.
But it’s a well run country so has the same life expectancy as Russia which is many times richer. I mean at least the life expectancy in Russia has stopped declining.
The US pot calling the Russian Kettle black…
The Ukrainian governments credibility takes another nosedive by claiming the Russians have invaded Ukraine but they won’t attack the invasion force. And the US wants the aid convoy to turn around and go back. Meanwhile people are dying and suffering. Thankfully the Russians made the correct choice and weighed the suffering of innocent people to be more important than posturing and grandstanding.
It looks as if what was reported a few weeks ago by some real journalism that Merkel is working behind the scenes to end this madness with a deal between Poroshenko and Putin, much to Washingtons disgust I would imagine.
Saw that Joe. Only question will be how to make the final deal while allowing the US to save face. Poroshenko knows they can’t end this thing militarily. Ukraine army is digging in for the winter.
At u.n. 2weeks ago russia proposed international peace keeping force to go to east ukr. Usa and kiev voted against. Kiev policy was to keep all peace keepers and journalists out so they can finish the job any which way. What happened to that journalist andrew… kidnapped by ukr side over 2 weeks ago. Policy is to push these ethnic russians out of east ukr. Hence bombing of civilian areas with inaccurate heavy duty artillery. Have a look at all the dead women on line lying in the street. No water in lugansk. Defenceless elderly children hiding in basements of appt. Blocks as the bombs come in. It is inhuman to put politics over humanity. At least some humanitarian aid has finally been delivered to desperate homelesss people.
The Ukrainian U.S mask slips even further. Denying legal aid into a region where people have no water or electricity and food is an astronomical price for the modest people of eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian oligarch nazi sympathizer president and Washington Nato ear provokers mask slips even further. Any word on who shot down the passenger plane after initial finger pointing at Russia. Things have gone silent. I don’t support any of these nations but what i do support is the truth and the truth in my opinion is that the faltering U.S empire is throwing the last dice and that dice is war with Russia. Again not good for your average person trying to get on with the one life they have a life these fruitcake greedy sociopaths in power don’t mind snuffin out .
Let the people of Eastern Ukraine decide what they want on free and fair referendum.
http://www.sgoal.org/Free-and-fair-referendum-regarding-the-future-of-Eastern-Ukraine
They already did.
Lol – yeah right John, free and fair? Not even Russia recognises it!
The absolute nonsense coming from the Ukrainian government is breathtaking , a direct invasion with AID is there no low low enough for the US state department and the Ukrainian Government….I have to say reporting of news has now become fairytale stuff ……..
This is what the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation has to say:
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT ON THE START OF THE DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN RELIEF AID TO SOUTHEASTERN UKRAINE
1956-22-08-2014
The endless delays hampering the initial deliveries of the Russian humanitarian relief aid to southeastern Ukraine have become intolerable.
A lorry convoy with many hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian relief aid, urgently needed by the people in these regions, has been standing idle for a week now on the Russian-Ukrainian border. Over this period, the Russian side has made unprecedented efforts in all areas and at all levels in order to complete the required formalities. We have met all conceivable and inconceivable demands of the Ukrainian side and have submitted to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) exhaustive lists of food, drinking water, medications, essential items and diesel generators due to be delivered to Lugansk, where they are urgently needed by women, children and the elderly. These people are experiencing the horrors of daily artillery attacks and air strikes that have resulted in an increasing number of killed and wounded and destroyed the entire vital infrastructure in the area. Time and again, we met requests to check and recheck the shipment route, to coordinate procedures for the shipment’s delivery, and have signed the required documents with the ICRC. We have provided all essential security guarantees and have ensured similar guarantees on the part of the self-defense forces. These guarantees apply to the Russian convoy as well as other humanitarian relief aid being sent to Lugansk by the Kiev authorities.
At the same time, Kiev has delayed granting its formal consent required by the ICRC for several days, while repeatedly inventing new pretexts and stepping up attacks on Lugansk and Donetsk that involve military aircraft and heavy-duty armored vehicles, targeting residential areas and other civilian facilities. Over the past few days, the Ukrainian side has been launching ballistic missiles, including the deadly Tochka-U missiles, ever more frequently.
On 21 August, the situation appeared to have been resolved when the Ukrainian authorities finally informed the ICRC of their readiness to start clearing humanitarian shipments for prompt delivery to Lugansk. The Ukrainian side officially confirmed its unconditional consent for the convoy to start moving during a phone conversation between the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Russia and Ukraine. On 20 August, customs clearance and border control procedures were launched at the Donetsk checkpoint. On 21 August, however, this process was stopped, with officials citing much more intensive bombardment of Lugansk. In other words, the Ukrainian authorities are bombing the destination and are using this as a pretext to stop the delivery of humanitarian relief aid.
It appears that Kiev has set out to complete its “cleansing” of Lugansk and Donetsk in time for the 24 August Independence Day celebrations. It seems increasingly credible that the incumbent Ukrainian leadership is deliberately delaying the delivery of the humanitarian relief aid until there is nobody left to deliver this aid to. Quite possibly, they hope to achieve this result prior to the planned 26 August meetings in Minsk.
Russia is outraged by the blatant external manipulation of the international experts involved in preparing this operation. An endless succession of contradictory and mutually exclusive signals and messages we have been receiving is a true indication of behind the scenes games for purposes that have nothing to do with accomplishing a set humanitarian objective. Those who are holding the reins and hampering efforts to save human lives, to mitigate the suffering of sick and wounded people neglect the basic principles of society. We have called on the UN Security Council to promptly declare a humanitarian armistice, but these proposals are being invariably blocked by those who pay lip service to universal human values. Last time, this happened on 20 August, when the United States and some Western members of the UNSC declined to issue a statement in support of a ceasefire during the delivery of humanitarian relief aid to Lugansk by Russian and Ukrainian convoys.
We hereby state once again: All the required security guarantees regarding the passage of the humanitarian convoy have been provided. The ICRC has officially recognised these guarantees. The delivery routes are known, and they have been checked by an ICRC mission. The documents have been drawn up. The shipments have long been ready for inspection by Ukrainian border guards and customs officers who have been waiting at the Donetsk checkpoint in the Rostov Region for a week now. The capitals that display heightened concern for the situation in southeastern Ukraine are well aware of this. The endless artificial demands and pretexts have become unconscionable.
It is no longer possible to tolerate this lawlessness, outright lies and inability to reach agreements. All pretexts for delaying the delivery of aid to people in the humanitarian disaster zone have been depleted. The Russian side has decided to act. Our humanitarian relief convoy is setting out towards Lugansk. Naturally, we are ready to allow ICRC officials to escort the convoy and to take part in distributing aid. We hope that representatives of the Russian Red Cross Society will also be able to take part in this mission.
We are warning against any attempts to thwart this purely humanitarian mission which took a long time to prepare in conditions of complete transparency and cooperation with the Ukrainian side and the ICRC. Those who are ready to continue sacrificing human lives to their own ambitions and geopolitical designs and who are rudely trampling on the norms and principles of international humanitarian law will assume complete responsibility for the possible consequences of provocations against the humanitarian relief convoy.
We are once again calling on the Ukrainian leadership, as well as the United States and the European Union, which are exerting their influence on Kiev, to promptly launch negotiations in southeastern Ukraine and start complying with the accords formalised in the 17 April 2014 Geneva Statement by Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the EU on stopping the use of force, mitigating the humanitarian situation and immediately launching nationwide dialogue that would involve all Ukrainian regions.
22 August 2014
But sure arnt russia just ‘defending’ their russian speaking countrymen? Or is it only allies of the west who can defend themselves with invasions..i spose putin hasnt killed enough civillians for it to qualify as ‘defence’ yet.
Great propaganda from the Russians; their starting to get a good handle on this world wide press animal. They must have been watching the French arm ISIS in Syria while sending their supplies to gather intel. The Red Cross really dropped the ball here, it would make one question their independence; they’ve gone into worse places even where the local rebels weren’t on the same side as the aid suppliers.
I don’t believe for a minute that there isn’t some military benefit but the western nations look very weak by only offering scant criticism rather than engaging to confirm the payload or send in supplies from the european side.
Dave kiev are being given free reign by the eu to drive out ethnic russian population. Journalists peacekeepers and humanitarian aid gets in the way of a final hard military push to achieve these objectives. Russian proposed international u.n. peacekeeping force 2 weeks ago voted against by kiev and u.s.
To see a very good analysis of the aid mission, check out the Vineyard of the Saker Block (covers both the situation in the Ukraine as well as the ISIS /Iraq situation. http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.ie/2014/08/the-significance-of-russian-decision-to.html
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