Spot Report by Observer Mission at Russian checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk: Russian convoy of 86 vehicles crossed into Ukraine and returned back through the Donetsk Border Crossing Point

This report is for the media and general public.

SUMMARY

On 15 February 2015 at 07:50hrs (Moscow time), a Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 86 vehicles were inspected by the Russian border guard and customs services. All the vehicles crossed back into the Russian Federation (RF) at 19:22hrs on February 15.

DETAIL

Leaving the Russian Federation

On 15 February 2015 at 07:50hrs, the Observer Mission (OM) observed the arrival of a Russian convoy at the gate of the Donetsk BCP. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations team led the process of the convoy crossing. The convoy consisted of 58 cargo trucks, 21 fuel trucks, 2 escort vehicles, 1 ambulance, 1 towing truck and 3 support vehicles. All but two trucks bore the inscription “Humanitarian help from the Russian Federation”. The OM spoke to the Ministry of Emergency Situations team on site about the two vehicles without the inscription. They informed the OM that the two vehicles were refrigerated semi-trailer trucks; these trucks were not property of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations but were hired to carry temperature-sensitive medication and frozen fish. On the dashboards of some of the cargo trucks the OM observed flags of the “DPR/LPR” and “Novorossiya”.

The vehicles stopped at the customs control area in four lines, backdoors of the cargo trucks were opened and visually inspected by Russian border guards and customs officers from outside. The Russian border guards used a dog to check most of the cargo trucks. Ukrainian officers - 8 border guards and 3 customs officers - were present on site and divided in 4 teams on each of the aforementioned lines. They performed visual observation of the opened trucks from the outside. By 09:25hrs all but one vehicle had left the BCP towards Ukraine. One vehicle ­- the refrigerated semi-trailer truck carrying frozen fish - broke down at the BCP. It took over an hour to fix it and it finally left the BCP towards Ukraine at 10:40hrs, making it the last vehicle from the convoy to leave the territory of the BCP towards Ukraine.

Returning to the Russian Federation

At 18:15hrs on 15 February, the convoy arrived and lined up at the customs area. The backdoors of the trucks were open and both Russian and Ukrainian officers checked the returning convoy. By 19:22hrs all 86 vehicles had returned and crossed back into the RF.