Russia sent dozens of aid trucks into rebel-held eastern Ukraine on Friday without Kiev's approval, and Ukraine's Security Service chief called the move a "direct invasion." Valentyn Nalyvaichenko said those driving the aid trucks are Russian military men who are trained to drive combat vehicles. He said the half-empty trucks will be used to transport weapons to the rebels and take the bodies of Russian fighters away from eastern Ukraine.
The white-tarped semis loaded with food, water, generators and sleeping bags sent from Moscow are intended for civilians in the city of Luhansk, where pro-Russian separatists are besieged by government forces. Shelling of the city has been ongoing for weeks, cutting off power, water and phone lines and leaving food supplies scarce. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which had planned to escort the Russian aid convoy to assuage fears that it was being used as a cover for a Russian invasion, said it had not received enough security guarantees to escort the convoy.