Trucks of a Russian convoy carrying humanitarian aid for Ukraine, drive in the direction of the Ukrainian border near the town of Donetsk, in Russia's Rostov Region. Reuters
AFP/Kiev
Ukraine's security chief on Friday accused Russia of a "direct invasion" after Moscow sent a disputed aid convoy into the war-torn east of the country.
"We are saying that this is a direct invasion. Under the cynical guise of the Red Cross these are military vehicles," Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, the head of Ukraine's SBU security agency, was quoted as saying by Interfax Ukraine news agency.
Another security official said that Moscow was "exclusively responsible" for the security of the convoy as it crosses rebel-held territory.
Red Cross says not escorting Russian aid convoy
The Red Cross said Friday its representatives were not escorting a Russian aid convoy that entered war-torn eastern Ukraine as they had not received "sufficient security guarantees."
"We are not a part of the convoy in any way," Victoria Zotikova, a spokeswoman for the ICRC in Moscow told AFP, adding that the organisation had not been given "sufficient security guarantees by the fighting parties" after a small team of ICRC officials reported heavy shelling overnight in the rebel-held bastion of Lugansk where the Russian trucks are heading.
