"The Russian Emergencies Ministry’s humanitarian aid convoy has been divided into two columns, one of which is at the Donetsk border crossing point, while the other is at the Matveyev Kurgan checkpoint,” a ministry spokesperson said.
Both columns include more than 80 vehicles and customs clearance is currently underway, the spokesperson added.
The trucks are being examined by Russian customs officials and border guards in the presence of Ukrainian customs and border services, as well as observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
After customs clearance is completed, the trucks, carrying foodstuffs, medicines and construction materials, will proceed to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Donbas.
For the first time humanitarian aid convoy will be accompanied by the staff of the OSCE mission from the border to the place of unloading.
Eleven Russian convoys have delivered more than 14,800 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Donbas since August, according to the Russian Emergencies Ministry.
An armed conflict has raged in southeastern Ukraine since April last year, when Kiev launched a military offensive against local independence supporters. Months of fighting have put the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces on the verge of a humanitarian disaster, as important infrastructure has been destroyed and many local residents have been left without food, drinking water and electricity.
