Ukraine Says Russia's Aid Convoy 'Direct Invasion' After Crossing Border
The Ukrainian government has accused Russia of a "direct invasion" after the country sent aid convoys into Ukraine territory.
Russia said Thursday that sending aid over the border into eastern Ukraine was purely a humanitarian operation, and that it was tired of Ukraine's "delays" and "excuses" for prohibiting the aid. Russia' Foreign Ministry added that Ukraine was trying to stall the aid until "there is no one at all to provide help to."
Despite Russia's claims, Ukraine described the 145-truck convoy as an "invasion," and a government official told Reuters that although they will not respond to the convoy with force, they would prefer to avoid any "provocations."
"We consider this a direct invasion by Russia of Ukraine," State Security Chief Valentyn Nalivaychenko told Reuters.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko released a statement Friday saying "a column of more than 100 vehicles entered Ukrainian territory without a customs inspection, without border control or International Red Cross escort, which is a flagrant violation of international law."
According to BBC News, because the convoy entered Ukraine without a Red Cross escort, the Ukrainian government may choose to not recognize the mission as a humanitarian aid attempt.
The New York Times reports that the Red Cross did not accompany the aid trucks into Ukraine due to a "volatile security situation" that includes continued fighting between rebel and government forces. Ewan Watson, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, told the New York Times that the humanitarian group decided not to accompany the convoy due to heavy shelling in the eastern city of Luhansk the night before.
"This morning we decided we didn't have the security guarantees in place to move with this convoy," he said. "The convoy subsequently left without us."
