International monitors have reportedly said that the trucks sent by Russia on a humanitarian mission to Ukraine without the latter's authorization have been returned to Russia.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe revealed on Saturday that 227 vehicles were sent to Ukraine by Russia on Friday, reported CNN. The organization has an observer mission at the checkpoint that the convoy went through.
The trucks returned to Russia on Saturday after delivering humanitarian aids to the city of Luhansk which is home to several pro-Russia rebels.
While Russia said that the convoy was on a humanitarian mission and that it is satisfied that the supplies were delivered to its destination, international powers condemned it as an infringement of Ukraine's sovereignty.
A senior Ukrainian official called the act a direct invasion of the nation by Russia.
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, on the other hand, alleged that some of the empty trucks were filled with military equipments and are now in the hands of rebels. The nation has often accused Russia of assisting the pro-Russia rebels within its territory.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev on Saturday, said that Germany cannot rule out further sanctions against Russia if it doesn't move to resolve the crisis in Eastern Ukraine quickly. She added that Ukraine's territorial integrity is important and its border must be secured.
