Russia’s 17th Humanitarian Aid Convoy Leaves for Donbas Region – EMERCOM

The Russian Emergencies Ministry announced that it has dispatched its 17th humanitarian aid convoy to the conflict-torn Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Emergencies Ministry has dispatched 17th humanitarian aid convoy to east Ukraine's conflict-torn Donbas, a ministry official said Wednesday.

"It has left the Donskoy rescue center at 04:00 a.m. Moscow time [01:00 GMT] and is moving towards the Russian border," Oleg Voronov, deputy chief of the crisis management center with the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, said.

The convoy comprises more than 160 vehicles carrying more than 1,800 tonnes of humanitarian aid, most of which is food, to Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

"The humanitarian aid will be divided between Donetsk and Luhansk regions evenly," Voronov said.

Russia's 16th aid convoy reached the Donbas region on February 27, delivering food items, medicines, daily essentials, books and manuals for local students.

Ukraine's Donbas has been suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis since Kiev launched a military operation against local independence supporters in April 2014. Thousands of people lost their homes and crucial infrastructure has been damaged.

Since August 2014, Russia has sent over 20,000 tons of food, water, clothes, medicines, power generators and building materials to the Donetsk and Luhansk.