Russia Sends 31st Humanitarian Convoy to Donbass – Emergencies Ministry

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has sent out its 31st aid convoy to Ukraine’s southeast (Donbass), where the civilian population is suffering from a humanitarian crisis caused by the armed conflict between Kiev and local independence supporters.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The convoy consists of over 100 vehicles that are carrying over 1,000 metric tons of aid, including food and medicine.

"At 04:00 Moscow time [01:00 GMT] the convoy of the Russian Emergencies Ministry with humanitarian aid for Donbass left the Donskoy rescue center and started moving in the direction of the Russian border," the ministry’s spokesman told RIA Novosti early on Thursday.

The trucks will be divided into two groups before crossing the border with Ukraine. One group will head for Lugansk while the other will go to Donetsk.

Overall, Russia has sent more than 38,000 metric tons of aid to Donbass since August 2014.