31.10 Russian Aid Convoys Heading for Donetsk, Luhansk Cross Ukrainian Border

LUHANSK REGION (Ukraine), October 31 (RIA Novosti) – The first group of trucks with Russian humanitarian aid for eastern Ukraine has crossed the Ukrainian border and has begun moving through the Luhansk region, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Friday.

One hundred trucks, which have split into two convoys, are carrying about 1,000 tons of humanitarian aid including food, medication, construction materials and winter supplies. The first convoy will deliver the humanitarian cargo to Luhansk, and the second will deliver aid to Donetsk.

This is the fourth batch of humanitarian aid for southeastern Ukraine sent by Russia. The first three delivered about 6,000 tons of humanitarian cargo to the region.

Due to the conflict between the Ukrainian government and pro-independence forces, Ukraine's southeastern regions are mired in a severe humanitarian catastrophe with many citizens struggling without clean water, electricity and other essentials.