LUHANSK, August 22 (RIA Novosti) – Residents of the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, controlled by independence supporters, have enthusiastically welcomed the Russian trucks loaded with humanitarian aid which reached the city on Friday.
The trucks reached warehouses and food storehouses, equipped with refrigerators. Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) authorities have spent a week preparing the facilities for the arrival of the Russian humanitarian cargo.
At least 24 aid distribution stations have been set up so far, twelve of them are due to open on Saturday morning, Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) authorities said.
The city authorities have already made a list of the residents who are most in need of help, according to Oleg Tsarev, a parliament speaker of the union of the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine.
“First of all, the aid will be provided to the retired people, as well as to the families where both parents work in the public sector, refugees, those who suffered from bombardments, the disabled and hospital patients," Tsarev said.
Earlier on Friday, over a hundred of Russian trucks carrying humanitarian aid crossed the border into Ukraine allegedly without clearance by Ukrainian customs officials or a Red Cross escort. Militia in Luhansk already confirmed the arrival of the trucks. According to media reports, around 130 Russia’s aid convoy trucks arrived in the city.
A convoy of 280 trucks carrying food, medicine and other essentials for people in eastern Ukraine set out from near Moscow on August 12. It had been stranded at the border with Ukraine for more than a week.
The humanitarian disaster in Lugansk occurred after the Ukrainian army had blocked approaches to the city. All food supplies to Lugansk were interrupted. The local people were left without drinking water or electricity. Power supply to social facilities had to be urgently restored after artillery shelling.
