MOSCOW, August 23 (RIA Novosti) - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) confirmed on Saturday that all 227 vehicles that entered Ukraine as part of a Russian aid convoy have returned home.
“The OSCE Observer Mission (OM) concludes that all 227 vehicles of the aid convoy, which had crossed the Donetsk BCP [Border Crossing Point] towards Ukraine on 22 August, … have returned to the Russian Federation (RF),” the organization said in a statement.
A total number of 220 vehicles of the Russian humanitarian aid convoy returned from Ukraine on Saturday, while seven vehicles of the convoy had returned on Friday evening, according to the OSCE.
Earlier in the day, Russia’s Deputy Emergency Minister Eduard Chizhikov also said that a total of 227 trucks took part in the Russian humanitarian operation. All vehicles were searched by the representatives of the customs and border control, both on the Ukrainian and Russian side. No issues have been pointed out. All vehicles were empty upon returning.
On August 14, the trucks with Russian humanitarian aid arrived at the border, but Ukraine began customs clearance only on August 21.
On Friday, Moscow accused Kiev of deliberately delaying the aid delivery. The same day, Russian convoy crossed the border and arrived in Luhansk, the city being sieged by the Ukrainian army and struggling daily without regular food supplies, water and electricity.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry described the convoy crossing the Russian border as a violation of international norms.
Moscow reminded that Russia received a formal agreement from Kiev authorities for the passage of the humanitarian convoy through the Ukrainian border on August 12.
