Russia Forms 12th Humanitarian Aid Convoy for Donbas

The Russian Emergencies Ministry reported that Russia was preparing 12th humanitarian aid convoy to Ukraine.

MOSCOW, January 27 (Sputnik) – Russia is forming yet another convoy that will deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine's conflict-torn southeast (Donbas), the press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry announced Tuesday.

"The 12th humanitarian aid convoy that will deliver food stuffs, medicine and other essentials to Donbas will be formed in the Rostov region," an Emergencies Ministry representative said, adding that the aid will be collected from several Russian regions.

Russia's previous humanitarian convoy returned from Donbas on January 9, having delivered over 1,400 metric tons of food, medicine and holiday presents for children in southeastern Ukraine.

Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have been suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis as a result of a military operation launched by Kiev against local independence supporters in mid-April, 2014.

Residents of Donetsk and Mariupol — another southeastern Ukrainian city, have come under intensified shelling this month.

Last week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stressed that the Ukrainian government's regulations impeding access to the southeastern regions are undermining humanitarian agencies' ability to help people who are suffering as a result of the ongoing conflict in the country.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 1.4 million people in eastern Ukraine require humanitarian assistance.