Russia Supplied Nearly 56,000 Tonnes Of Humanitarian Aid To Ukraine, Donbas - Ministry

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2022) Since March 2, Russia has delivered nearly 56,000 tonnes of humanitarian cargoes to Ukraine and the Donbas republics, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, who also leads Russia's humanitarian response coordination headquarters, said.

"A total of 55,978.2 tonnes of humanitarian aid has been supplied to Donbas and Ukraine since March 2, 2022," Col. Gen. Mizintsev said.

Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 in response to calls by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics for protection from Ukrainian troops.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the goal of the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, is to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine, and to completely liberate Donbas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." As of March 25, the Russian Armed Forces completed the main tasks of the first stage, significantly reducing the combat potential of Ukraine. Western nations have imposed numerous sanctions on Russia and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.