In a diplomatic game of chicken, a large Russian aid convoy rolled toward the Ukrainian border today but it was heading toward a crossing controlled by pro-Russian rebels instead of a government post as Ukraine had demanded.
Ukraine's government threatened to block the convoy if the cargo could not be inspected and announced it was organising its own aid shipment to the war-wracked separatist region of Luhansk.
Later, it also declared it had taken the eastern town of Novosvitlivka, which lies just south of Luhansk, which means it could block the Russian aid from reaching the war-wracked city.
Ukraine suspects the convoy could be a pretext for a Russian military invasion or further support for the pro-Russian rebels it has been fighting since April.
The Russian convoy of more than 200 vehicles had been parked at a military depot in the southern Russian city of Voronezh since late Tuesday amid disagreement over how and where the aid could be delivered to eastern Ukraine, where government troops are battling armed separatists.
But today, the white-tarped trucks, some flying the red flag of Moscow and accompanied by military vehicles, drove down a winding highway through sunflower fields and green hills then turned west toward the rebel-held border crossing of Izvaryne.
But the trucks soon pulled off about 28 kilometers (17 miles) from the border and parked in a large field where dozens of beige tents had been set up. Drivers in matching delivery outfits got out and relaxed, making it unclear whether the convoy would cross into Ukraine later in the day or spend the night on Russian soil.
The route suggested Russia was intent on not abiding by a tentative agreement to deliver aid to a government-controlled border checkpoint in the Kharkiv region, where it could more easily be inspected by Ukraine and the Red Cross.
