Russian convoy to Ukraine prompts Western anger

Russia's decision to send more than 100 aid trucks into war-torn eastern Ukraine without permission has been widely condemned in the West. The EU and the US called for them to be withdrawn, saying their presence violated Ukraine's sovereignty. Nato said the move would fuel the crisis. But Russia said further delays were unacceptable - and also denied that its troops and artillery were in Ukraine.

The first trucks have now reached the besieged rebel-held city of Luhansk. Russia's huge aid convoy for east Ukraine was always thought to be destined primarily for Luhansk, a city under siege from government forces. What all the trucks contain is a matter of conjecture ( the ones that were examined and cleared contain humanitarian  supplies) but all aimed at supporting separatist, pro-Russian forces.
The UN has held an emergency meeting to discuss the convoy's entry, which Ukraine has described as an "invasion". Meanwhile, Lithuania - a fierce critic of Russia's actions in Ukraine - has said its honorary consul in Luhansk has been murdered "by terrorists", a term routinely used by Ukraine for pro-Russian separatists.

 

Russia said it had run out of patience as some of the trucks had perishable goods for distribution

Russia denies accusations that it arms and trains the rebels in Luhansk and Donetsk

In a strong statement, Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday's developments were "even more worrying as they coincide with a major escalation in Russian military involvement in eastern Ukraine since mid-August, including the use of Russian forces".
Nato's condemnation of the entry of Russia's aid convoy marks a significant hardening of its tone. The statement speaks of "a major escalation in Russian military involvement in eastern Ukraine since mid-August, including the use of Russian forces".
Indeed Nato goes further, insisting that Russian artillery is being used against Ukrainian forces, with the fire coming both from across the border in Russia, and from within Ukraine itself. Western military sources speak of "substantial" Russian military deployments inside Ukraine with battalion-size elements on the ground.
All this, taken with what Nato describes as the transfer of "large quantities of advanced weapons" to separatist groups in eastern Ukraine, suggests a concerted effort by Moscow to prop up the defences of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia has consistently denied such charges but Russian armour has been seen crossing into Ukraine and marshalled near the border.
 

In other reactions to the convoy:

• The White House warned Russia would face more economic sanctions if it failed to withdraw
• The UK's UN ambassador, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, said it was a provocative act that had "nothing to do with humanitarianism"
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is travelling to Kiev on Saturday for talks, said she was "deeply concerned" by the developments
• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was not part of it "in any way.

But speaking after the UN Security Council meeting, Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin accused Western powers of distorting reality.

"Sometimes it reminded me of the kingdom of crooked mirrors because some members of the Council were not concerned about the fact hundreds of civilians are dying."

 

Earlier he said that Russia had lost patience with Ukraine's chain of command and had had to act to save perishable goods and he hoped the ICRC would help now distribute the aid.

Mr Churkin rebuffed Nato's accusations of military support for the Ukrainian separatist forces, saying the body had no proof - adding there were no Russian troops or artillery on Ukrainian soil.

He also accused Lithuania's UN delegation of "torpedoing all productive, constructive initiatives we've had in the Security Council", in particular Russia's proposal calling for a ceasefire.

Russia's aid convoy heads through Ukraine towards Luhansk

The Ukrainian army continued operations in neighbouring Donetsk region on Friday

People in Avdiivka town are having to collect water from a well because supplies have been cut during the fighting

His Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksandr Pavlichenko, said border guards had begun inspecting of some of the trucks on Thursday afternoon, but the Russians had decided to go ahead without waiting for them all to be cleared. Foreign journalists were allowed to look into many of the Russian trucks earlier this week, and found they contained humanitarian supplies such as baby food and cereals.

Reporters at the scene saw rebel fighters in front of the convoy as it crossed the border near the town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky. Four months of fighting in eastern Ukraine have left more than 2,000 people dead and caused more than 330,000 people to flee their homes.