Головна сторінка
/
Новини
/

Russian convoy attempts Ukraine entry in violation of global norms

Russian convoy attempts Ukraine entry in violation of global norms

14 August 2014

A Russian humanitarian convoy attempted to enter Ukraine through the Kharkiv region (to the north of the targeted city of Luhansk) with a Russian escort the early morning of Aug. 13, Presidential Administration Deputy Head Valeriy Chaly told the 5 Kanal television network. Government officials held an emergency meeting and also consulted with foreign officials, who advised them not to fall into a trap by engaging in a conflict with the convoy. “Then this ‘aid’ will enter with so-called peacekeepers as part of an armed convoy,” he said. At about noon on Aug. 13, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced the humanitarian aid convoy wouldn’t enter Ukraine through border posts in the Kharkiv region, calling it a “provocation of a cynical aggressor.”

 

The Ukrainian government has launched an interdepartmental coordinating mechanism to coordinate international humanitarian aid for Ukraine, reported on Aug. 13 the presidential press service. In a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said his organization will work with the Ukrainian government and the Red Cross International Committee with the goal of ensuring that the norms of international law are upheld.

 

The Red Cross will not accept any humanitarian aid delivered to a border post that’s not controlled by the Border Service of Ukraine, said on Aug. 13 Alla Khabarova, the general secretary of the Red Cross in Ukraine. Earlier that day, Red Cross spokesman Andre Loersch said his organization had yet to receive a complete accounting of aid items in the Russian convoy. “We received a general description of the convoy, but we require additional, more accurate information on what these trucks are carrying,” Loersch said.

 

A plan has yet to be developed regarding technical details, such as whether the trucks can cross the border and at what crossing, he said. “All these questions are resolved on an international level,” he said. Information is also lacking about the convoy’s current location, he said.

 

The Russian convoy of at least 100 white KamAZ trucks spent the night of Aug. 13-14 at the Voronezh military airfield, reported the RIA Voronezh news site. FT journalist Courtney Weaver reported in her blog that an air base guard in Voronezh confirmed to her it was hosting 270 convoy trucks. By morning, 280 white KamAZ trucks resumed transit, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, without mentioning their location or direction. Some sources assumed that the convoy is heading towards Rostov, a city located to the south of Luhansk.

 

Zenon Zawada: The Russian government could be looking to create a pretext to turn international opinion against Ukraine after it become the global pariah for its role in the attack on Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17. Certainly, it’s seeking to provoke a conflict that would rally the Russian public and the Donbas population against the Ukrainian government. We expect this cynical maneuver will fail, with even more embarrassment for the Russian government. The core area of worry remains the contents of these trucks and whether it’s military personnel driving them.

Останні новини

News

23

02/2022

Separatists may claim entire territories of two Ukrainian regions

Russia has recognized “all fundamental documents” of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DNR...

News

23

02/2022

U.K. to provide USD 500 mln loan guarantee for Ukraine as IMF mission starts

The British government is going to provide up to USD 500 mln in loan guarantees...

News

23

02/2022

MinFin bond auction receipts jump to UAH 3.5 bln

Ukraine’s Finance Ministry raised UAH 3.3 bln and EUR 7.2 mln (the total equivalent of...