(The Christian Science Monitor) A Russian convoy of over 200 trucks allegedly carrying humanitarian aid to conflict-ridden eastern Ukraine is moving towards a rebel-controlled checkpoint creating an international guessing game and raising the prospect of an all out war.
Earlier this week Russia announced that it had come to an agreement with Ukraine and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to deliver much needed humanitarian aid to the war-torn region of eastern Ukraine. But as the Russian trucks set out, the Ukrainian government said it would not let any of them cross onto its territory and the ICRC said it did not know the route Russian trucks were planning to take.
International leaders, including European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, issued stern warnings against using a humanitarian mission as a pretext for military intervention.
The Ukrainian government fears the trucks could be Trojan horses entering under the guise of aid – only to start an invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s pledge to protect all Russian speakers, wherever they may live, has raised doubts over whether this really is a humanitarian mission.
The lack of information has thrust the ICRC into an uncomfortable position with the need to get aid to eastern Ukrainians but not knowing what Russia is planning. This has created worries that any move made by the ICRC could result in serious political implications.
“Putin practices the old KGB technique of maskirovka, masking and deception, in everything he does in this conflict,” Kimberly Marten, a professor at Barnard College and Columbia University, told the Monitor via email. “His goal is to keep people guessing, to create disunity among the Western community, and to buy time before deciding on his next move.” […]
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