A cargo plane carrying 48 tonnes of medical equipment from China landed in southwestern Russia on May 10. Russian authorities said the aid would be distributed among the regions that had seen the biggest inflows of asylum seekers – Rostov, Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Last Friday, the Rostov region received 12 tonnes of humanitarian aid.
The head of the Chinese Red Cross humanitarian aid bureau told RIA Novosti on Monday the organization was watching closely the humanitarian crisis unfolding on the border with Ukraine.
“We sincerely hope these relief goods can help the people… pass the most difficult time and get better life in the near future,” she said.
Rostov's bureau humanitarian chief Elena Hilyan told RIA Novosti they would distribute medical equipment – ultrasound scanners, patient monitors, defibrillators and other aid donated by China – among 15 hospitals in the region.
The humanitarian crisis erupted in eastern Ukraine soon after Ukrainian troops moved in to crack down on anti-Kiev uprisings there in April 2014. More than 6,200 people have died in ensuing clashes since the conflict began. A further 1.5 million people have been forced to flee. Many refugees have crossed into neighboring Russia, with the Rostov region alone hosting around 37,700 people.
