The first trucks from a convoy which Russia says is carrying humanitarian aid have entered eastern Ukraine after a week waiting for permission to cross the border. Moscow has accused the Ukrainian government of creating "artificial demands" to delay aid deliveries. The convoy is bound for the Luhansk region, where many residents have been without fresh water and regular power supplies.
More from our news desk on Ukraine's response to the convoy entering its territory:
A senior Ukrainian security official has accused Russia of invading Ukraine after a humanitarian aid convoy entered the country without a Red Cross escort.
Dozens of trucks entered eastern Ukraine on August 22 after Moscow said it was tired of waiting and accused Kyiv of creating artificial delays.
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said 90 trucks had entered Ukraine without agreement or participation of the Red Cross, in violation of agreements between Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine's State Security Service chief, Valentyn Nalivaychenko, said the trucks' movement represents a "direct invasion" of Ukraine by Russia.
The Red Cross tweeted that it was not escorting the trucks due to the "volatile security situation."
Ukraine had voiced concerns the convoy could be used to supply the rebels with weapons.
AP seems to have backtracked on earlier report that the trucks were driven by Red Cross workers.
BREAKING: The head of Ukraine's State Security Service, Valentin Nalivaychenko, says the movement of Russian trucks into Ukrainian territory represents a "direct invasion" of Ukraine by Russia.
Here's our news desk's wrap of the convoy moving into Ukraine.
Russia said it was fed up with delays and sent the first trucks from a humanitarian aid convoy into violence-torn eastern Ukraine on August 22 after waiting a week for clearance to cross the border.
Trucks began to move shortly after Moscow accused Ukraine of creating "artificial demands" and warned it not to try to halt the convoy, which Kyiv has voiced concerns could be used to supply pro-Russian rebels with weapons.
"All excuses to delay the delivery of aid to people in the area of the humanitarian catastrophe have been exhausted," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The Russian side has decided to take action. Our convoy carrying a humanitarian cargo is starting to move in the direction of Luhansk," it said, referring to a provincial capital held by the pro-Russian separatists.
Interfax-Ukraine quotes an unnamed Ukrainian official as saying the trucks crossed the border without permission from Kyiv, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was not escorting the convoy "due to the volatile security situation."
"We've not received sufficient security guarantees from the fighting parties," the ICRC said on Twitter, adding that the Red Cross team in Luhansk had reported heavy shelling overnight.
Russia warned against any attempts to "undermine the humanitarian mission." It said it was ready for the Red Cross to escort the convoy and help distribute the aid.
"We declared once again: All the necessary security guarantees...have been provided," the Russian statement said.
It said the trucks had long been ready for inspection by Ukrainian border and customs officers but that Kyiv had repeatedly come up with new demands.
"Such excesses, candid lies, and inability to reach agreement can be tolerated no more," it said.
Reuters reported that about 70 trucks had crossed the border, accompanied by a small number of pro-Russian rebels.
It was not immediately clear whether the cargo in the trucks had been inspected before crossing the border.
ITAR-TASS cited a Russian customs official as saying Russian and Ukrainian customs officers had jointly completed customs formalities for 34 of the vehicles. The ICRC tweeted on August 21 that Ukrainian border guards had started inspections of some of the Russian trucks.
The convoy of more than 250 white trucks left the Moscow region on August 12, carrying what Russia says is some 2,000 tons of aid. The trucks arrived near Russia's border with the Luhansk region two days later and had been stranded there since.
The United Nations says more than 2,000 people have been killed in months of fighting, mostly in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, following the ouster of a Ukrainian president sympathetic to Russia in February and Russia's annexation of Crimea in April.
The fighting has prompted thousands of people to flee and living conditions have deteriorated. The city of Luhansk has been without fresh water or regular power supplies for days.
Fighting, sometimes fierce, has persisted in eastern Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv wrangled over the convoy. Many of the deaths have occurred in the past month, and the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk remain in rebel hands despite gains by Ukrainian governent forces in recent weeks.
Moscow's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern UKraine have driven ties between Russia and the West to post-Cold War lows and prompted exchanges of economic sanctions, visa bans, and asset freezes.
Still unclear whether the trucks are being driven by Red Cross Workers or not. Reuters reports that about 70 trucks have now crossed the border and are being accompanied by a small number of pro-Russian rebels.
Reuters is reporting that the trucks are being accompanied by a small number of pro-Russian rebels.