CGTN America
A massive Russian convoy said to be filled with food, water and medical supplies is now in a holding pattern.
It is in the southern city of Voronezh, about 350 kilometers (217 miles) from the Ukraine border. Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko says he is worried the convoy is a Russian ploy to invade his country.
CCTV’s Kate Parkinson reports.
Follow Kate Parkinson on Twitter @katecctvnews
Convoy stopped on Russia-Ukraine border
A massive Russian convoy said to be filled with food, water and medical supplies is now in a holding pattern.More Ukraine-Russia coverage on CCTV America.
The huge convoy that sent alarm bells ringing in Kiev when it set off in the direction of Ukraine from Moscow yesterday has made very little progress in its journey Wednesday, remaining stationary at an airbase in southwest Russia.
Meanwhile little progress has been made in negotiations between Moscow and Kiev on where,how or even, if the convoy will be allowed to cross the border into Ukraine.
On his Facebook page, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov called the convoy quote a “provocation by a cynical aggressor” and said it would not be allowed on Ukrainian territory.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s military admitted they didn’t know where the convoy was heading.
Late on Tuesday night, a presidential spokesman said that the Ukrainians had agreed to accept the aid for Luhansk region in a bid to prevent “a full-scale invasion” by Russia.
The approaching convoy is certainly posing a dilemma for Kiev which doesn’t want to seem to be blocking aid but at the same time fears the convoy could become the focus of tension and conflict once on its soil and provide pretext for a Russian armed incursion.>
The U.N. human rights office reports the death toll has doubled in the past two weeks to more than 2,000 and shows no sign of slowing down.
New figures released by the United Nations Wednesday say at leave 2,086 people have died since mid-April, when Ukraine sent troops into the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to fight against pro-Russia rebels.
A U.N. human rights spokesperson said the figures included Ukrainian soldiers, rebel groups and civilians, but were quote “very conservative estimates” adding that it is clearly an escalating trend.
CCTV’s Tom Barton reports from Russia on this situation.
Follow Tom Barton on Twitter @TomBartonJourno
Russian convoy stopped before reaching Ukraine
CCTV America's Tom Barton reports from Russia on the latest details about the Russian convoy that arrived at the Ukraine border.Michael Kofman, from the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, joined CCTV America for more on what this convoy conflict means.
