MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia will continue providing humanitarian assistance to Donbass next year with monthly convoys, Deputy Emergencies Minister Vladimir Artamonov said Thursday.
"There have been no other commands in this regard so far. Therefore, the scheduled work lined up is monthly convoys," Artamonov told reporters.
The next Russian humanitarian aid convoy will be sent to southeastern Ukraine next Thursday, November 24, Artamonov said.
"The 58th convoy [will be sent on] November 24. About 450 tonnes of cargo: food, medicine, medical equipment, baby food, hygiene products," he said.
Since 2014, when a new coup-imposed Kiev government launched a military operation against the residents of Donbass who rejected the new authorities' legitimacy, Russia has been sending aid to the locals, helping to avert a humanitarian disaster.