Russia launches controversial aid mission for Ukraine

(Vatican Radio) A Russian convoy of nearly three hundred trucks carrying what the Kremlin called "humanitarian aid" set off from Moscow on Tuesday for the war-torn eastern region of Ukraine, adding to tensions with Kyiv. 

Stefan Bos reports: 

Moscow said nearly 300 trucks were transporting items such as baby food, fruit juice, sugar, buckwheat and rice to desperate residents in eastern Ukraine, many of them ethnic Russians, who have been without food, clean water or electricity amid deadly clashes. 

However confusion remained over when and if the Russian aid would arrive. 

Ukraine's government warned it would not allow the convoy into the country, if it was accompanied by Russian military or members of Russia's emergency ministry. 

It also said the cargo would be transferred onto other transport vehicles by the Red Cross before entering Ukraine. 

RUSSIA ACCEPTS RED CROSS

Moscow responded, saying it would accepted a Red-Cross led mission. 

The aid group said it was ready for a humanitarian aid operation, but urged all sides to respect its neutrality.    

Yet the NATO military alliance is worried that Russia will use humanitarian aid as an excuse to invade Ukraine and support pro-Russia separatists, explained NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. 

It comes amid concerns about a Russian military buildup near Ukraine's border. “As of...today around 45,000 armed Russian troops are concentrated in the border areas,” said Andriy Lysenko, Ukraine’s Defence Council spokesperson. 

MOSCOW INTIMIDATING UKRAINE? 

Moscow has been accused of intimidating Ukraine at a time when government forces are closing in on pro-Russia separatists and prepare to recapture the key rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk. 

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the conflict. 

However rebel leader Alexsandr Zakharchenko claims his fighters are prepared for a final battle. “The Donetsk people’s military units are ready for a counter attack,” he told reporters. 

Yet that seemed increasingly difficult: Hundreds of thousands of people already fled the area and more than 1,500 people were killed since fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine in April following the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.