Russians Open Fire in Ukraine, NATO Reports

IZVARNYE, Ukraine - AndrewThe first trucks from a long-stalled Russian convoy said to be carrying humanitarian aid crossed the border in eastern Ukraine on Friday, apparently without the consent of the Ukrainian government and unaccompanied by Red Cross escorts, as had been earlier agreed.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a long statement in Moscow saying in essence that it had authorized the border crossing because it was fed up with stalling by the government in Kiev.

Russian news agencies quoted a spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as saying that Mr. Putin 'had been informed' of the convoy's movements.

The Red Cross said that it was not traveling with the trucks because of the 'volatile security situation' in rebel-held regions of Ukraine. The Red Cross had earlier agreed to oversee delivery of the aid and had been part of the protracted negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian governments. There was no sign of Russian military vehicles or any other indication of an armed escort by Russian forces.

Several dozen trucks, from a convoy of about 270, crossed the border in the conflict-torn region of Luhansk shortly after noon. Soldiers carrying automatic rifles and wearing camouflage, some bearing the markings of the rebel fighters in eastern Ukraine, cleared the road of cars and people to let the convoy move past.

The trucks traveled about 10 miles to the eastern Ukrainian city of Krasnodon where they appeared to change course to take smaller roads, presumably to avoid areas of continuing fighting or narrow highway checkpoints.

The United States and its European allies have warned that any crossing of the border by Russian military vehicles, even under the pretext of protecting the aid convoy, would be regarded as an invasion.

In its statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry made clear that the Kremlin had decided to send the convoy forward on its own.

'All the excuses to delay the delivery of aid to people in the area of a humanitarian catastrophe are exhausted,' the ministry said. 'The Russian side has made a decision to act. Our column with humanitarian cargo starts moving toward Luhansk.'

While Russia accused the Ukrainan government of stalling the convoy as it tries to achieve its military aims, the Kremlin's decision to begin moving the convoy to Luhansk without participation of the Red Cross may have its been a ploy to spare rebels in the city from imminent defeat by the Ukrainian military.

Spreading the conspicously large white aid trucks throughout the embattled city could effectively impose a cease-fire, essentially daring the Ukrainians to fire at vehicles that have been sent to provide despearately needed humanitarian assistance. Any respite in Ukraine's military offensive could allow rebels still fighting for control of Luhansk to dig in further, and indefinitely postpone any bid to oust them.

The trucks rumbled along the one-lane highway toward the regional capital of Luhansk, which has been the site of heavy fighting between the separatists and the Ukrainian military, as the government forces have sought to stamp out the militant insurrection. The trucks passed a sign indicating 55 kilometers, or about 34 miles, to Luhansk; 231 kilometers to the bigger rebel stronghold of Donetsk; and 430 kilometers to Kharkiv in a region that is now under government control.

The trucks also rolled past an orange-and-black flag, the colors of St. George, a symbol of Russian solidarity. The trucks were driven by men wearing plain beige T-shirts and shorts, who had been shown repeatedly on television in recent days on the Russian side of the border, waiting with their parked vehicles for clearance to cross into Ukraine.

The move comes before what is expected to be several days of high-level diplomatic maneuvering to try to find a political resolution of the crisis in Ukraine. The government in Kiev is pushing to crush the rebels with military force, perhaps confining them to one last stronghold in the city of Donetsk and then offering an escape corridor allowing them to retreat toward Russia.

On Saturday, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is due to visit Kiev and meet with leaders there including President Petro O. Poroshenko. On Tuesday, Mr. Poroshenko and other leaders of former Soviet republics, including President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, are due to meet in Minsk, Belarus.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Ukrainian government of stalling the convoy to avoid halting its military offensive and as part of a push to seize the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk before Sunday, which is Ukraine's Independence Day. It grimly accused the Ukrainian government of trying to kill or expel the people in need of assistance.

'Apparently, Kiev has a goal to secure a total cleansing of Luhansk and Donetsk before the upcoming Independence Day on Aug. 24,' the Russian Foreign Ministry said. 'There is a hardening feeling that the current leadership of Ukraine is deliberately delaying the humanitarian aid in order to get to the the moment when no one needs this aid any more. Probably their calculation is to achieve this result ahead of the meeting scheduled in Minsk for Aug.26.'