Convoy carries aid from Russia to battered city

LUHANSK, Ukraine — A convoy of more than 200 white trucks crossed the Russian border to deliver humanitarian aid to a battered Ukrainian city on Saturday, a move made without Kiev’s consent yet met with silence by Ukraine’s top leaders.

“Early in the morning, we entered Ukraine to bring aid to Luhansk,” said Yury Stepanov, a Russian who was overseeing the convoy.

The much-needed aid arrived as fighting flared again between pro-Russia rebels and government forces, further imperiling an already fragile cease-fire in the region.

On Saturday, Ukraine’s military operation in the east said it had repelled a rebel attack on the governmentheld airport of Donetsk. Ukrainian authorities also admitted for the first time since the cease-fire started this month that they have inflicted casualties on the rebel side.

Continuous rocket fire could be heard overnight in Donetsk. Shells hit residential buildings near the airport, although no casualties were reported. A column of three Grad rocket launchers — all its rockets still in place — was seen moving freely through the rebel-held city.

In the other regional capital of Luhansk, one of the worst-hit cities where tens of thousands have been without water, electricity, or phone connections for weeks, the streets were calm as Russian drivers unloaded aid packages into local warehouses.

Stepanov said the goods consisted mainly of foodstuffs but also included medicine, technical equipment and clothes.

Inside the warehouse, there were water bottles carrying the logo of Russia’s LDPR party, led by virulent nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

While dozens of local workers unloaded boxes, several carloads of armed militiamen in camouflage arrived to inspect the scene.

Luhansk shows deep scars of an unsuccessful, weeks-long shelling campaign by government troops. The government had regained growing swathes of territory from the separatists over several weeks, but a major rebel counteroffensive beginning in late August halted and reversed that trend.

An August agreement between Russia, Ukraine, and the international Red Cross allowed Moscow to bring aid to the region, as long as all vehicles were inspected by Ukrainian border guards and escorted by the Red Cross. After two weeks of waiting at the border for all sides to agree, Russia sent the cargo across the border without Kiev’s consent.