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Russian trucks pass customs

August 21, 2014

The first trucks from a Russian aid convoy have passed through a customs checkpoint at the border with Ukraine. More than 250 trucks had spent days held up at the frontier awaiting inspections from customs officials.

https://p.dw.com/p/1CyiP
Russian convoy of trucks
Image: Reuters

Ukrainian border guards began checking the first trucks from the humanitarian convoy on Thursday, after the cargo cleared a Russian checkpoint on the border with Ukraine.

"I can confirm that at 2:15 pm the Ukrainian side began border-customs formalities relating to the Russian humanitarian cargo," border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko told news agency Reuters.

The relief supplies had been stuck at the border for almost a week, amid Ukrainian concerns the trucks could serve as a "Trojan horse" to bring weapons to pro-Russian separatists who have been fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine for more than four months.

Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations it is providing the rebels with supplies, and insists the aid trucks aim to provide humanitarian relief to the conflict-hit region.

Living conditions in eastern Ukraine have deteriorated dramatically since the conflict began. The city of Luhansk has reportedly been cut off from water and electricity for almost three weeks.

The conflict has displaced more than 415,000 people and killed more than 2,000 since April, according to figures released by the United Nations this week.

nm/tj (Reuters, AP)