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Russia’s New Aid Convoy to Rebels Riles Ukraine as Crisis Mounts

Russia is sending a convoy of more
than 100 vehicles with what it says is humanitarian assistance
to rebel-held territory in Ukraine, drawing accusations from the
authorities in Kyiv that it’s aiding separatists.

The dispatch marks the eighth such mission since August by
Russia, which says it’s acting to mitigate the humanitarian
suffering caused by the unrest. Ukraine has called the convoys
an invasion and blamed Russia for the toll on civilians.

The repeated sight of trucks covered with white tarpaulins
crossing from Russia underscores Ukraine’s loss of control over
parts of the border amid its bloodiest conflict since the Second
World War. Ukraine has expressed concern that the Russian relief
missions are a guise for funneling weapons and reinforcements to
insurgents. The humanitarian crisis is worsening as the
government in Kyiv moved to cut off funding and services to the
two breakaway regions, according to the United Nations.

“An escalation of military activities has aggravated the
security situation in the region, and led to increased
uncertainty and fear among the population,” the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on its website.
“Winter temperatures, already below zero, threaten the health
and wellbeing of vulnerable displaced people.”

The UN estimates that more than a million people are
internally displaced or fled to neighboring countries as a
result of the strife, with 5.2 million still living in areas
engulfed by the conflict.

Fragile Truce

A cease-fire negotiated on Sept. 5 in Minsk, Belarus, has
failed to take hold. Ukraine and its allies blame Russia for
stoking the months-long conflict that’s killed more than 4,300
people and left more than 10,000 wounded. The government in
Moscow denies involvement.

To keep up pressure on the pro-Russian separatists, the
European Union yesterday extended asset freezes and travel bans
to a further 13 persons and five entities it said were involved
in actions against Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

The people include officials in the breakaway republics of
Luhansk and Donetsk and those linked to organizing Nov. 2 local
elections denounced as illegitimate by Ukraine and its allies.

Fighting in the conflict zone left one civilian dead
yesterday after rebels shelled areas around the regions of
Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukraine’s Ministry said yesterday.
Militants also attacked government troops, prompting them to
return fire, it said. One soldier was killed and 11 hurt,
according to Volodymyr Polevyi, a military spokesman in Kyiv.

Russian Convoy

The self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic said it’s
awaiting the arrival of Russia’s relief mission today, which is
ferrying food and construction materials, according to a
statement. The cargo consists of more than 1,200 metric tons of
materials, RIA Novosti reported, citing an official at Russia’s
Emergencies Ministry.

Russia notified the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry about the
planned delivery, separatist authorities said.

“The humanitarian situation remains very tense,” the
Donetsk republic said yesterday on its website. “It may
especially intensify if Ukraine blocks borders along a buffer
line and closes access to all goods from its side.”

Ukraine’s military spokesman, Polevyi, countered yesterday
by saying that rebels continue to refuse humanitarian help from
Kyiv.

Ukraine estimates that Russia has sent some 950 KamAZ
trucks as part of its humanitarian convoys since August and
suspects many of them were half-empty or carried weapons,
according to Polevyi. While most aid doesn’t reach the civilian
population, infighting is breaking out among rebels for control
over humanitarian flows, he said.

“Ukraine continues to base its policy toward eastern
Ukraine on the Minsk agreements,” Polevyi said. “The problem
is that the Minsk agreements are being adhered to unilaterally
by Ukraine, while rebels and Russian mercenaries ignore them.”

To contact the reporter on this story:
Aliaksandr Kudrytski in Minsk, Belarus at
akudrytski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Balazs Penz at
bpenz@bloomberg.net
Paul Abelsky, Matthew Brown