Russia Sends 68th Convoy With Relief Aid to Southeast Ukraine

Russian Emergencies Ministry convoy with humanitarian aid was sent to Ukraine.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Cars carrying humanitarian aid for Ukrainians have left the Russian village of Kovalevka and are heading for the Ukrainian border, the Russian Emergencies Ministry told Sputnik on Thursday.

"An Emergencies Ministry convoy carrying around 750 tonnes of humanitarian aid left the Ministry’s Don rescue center in Kovalevka in the Don region at 4:00 a.m. [1:00GMT] and headed for the Russian-Ukrainian border," a ministerial spokesperson said.

This is the 68th mission to bring essentials to people in the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk regions since a conflict broke out in 2014. The convoy will split in two before taking the road to Donetsk and Lugansk and will be checked by Russian and Ukrainian border guards at two crossing points.

The cars are carrying food rations for children, medicines, medical supplies and schoolbooks as children across Ukraine are getting ready for the beginning of a new school year on September 1. Warring parties in the region have agreed a ceasefire to mark the first day of school. It will go live at midnight on Friday.