Russian TV showed the cargo, said to include hundreds of tonnes of grain, baby food and medicine, which will go to civilians trapped by fighting in the area held by pro-Russia rebels.Russian officials said the Ukrainian government had agreed to the operation.Western powers have warned Russia not to use humanitarian assistance as a pretext to invade eastern Ukraine.At least 1,500 people have died since Ukraine's new government sent in troops to put down an insurrection by pro-Russia separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in mid-April.The fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have fled to Russia.'Military build-up'Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia was launching a humanitarian mission in co-operation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).The ICRC has acknowledged the situation in eastern Ukraine is critical, with thousands of people reported to be without access to water, electricity and medical aid.On Tuesday the organisation said it was not involved in the Russian mission as some issues needed clarification and security guarantees from all sides were required.But it said it had agreed in principle to such an operation and suggested it could get involved if the clarification it had asked for was received.Media reports said the cargo left a point south-west of Moscow on Tuesday morning. It is expected to arrive at the Ukrainian border in about two days."The convoy will deliver to the residents of eastern Ukraine about 2,000 tonnes of humanitarian cargo, collected by the residents of Moscow city and region," Moscow region officials said.Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who is mediating in the crisis, was quoted by Interfax-Ukraine news agency as saying the convoy would be sent to Luhansk accompanied by representatives of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).There have been conflicting reports about the route the aid could take.Mr Kuchma said it would enter Ukraine through government-controlled Kharkiv region, but officials in Russia's Rostov region - which borders on rebel-controlled areas - told Interfax they were expecting the convoy there.Also, Ukrainian security council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the aid had to pass through a government-controlled border post and be accompanied by Red Cross representatives. Agreement should be reached on where and to whom the aid was to be delivered, he added.On Monday, Western officials warned that Russia could be planning military operations in eastern Ukraine, using humanitarian aid as a cover."We see the Russians developing the narrative and the pretext for such an operation under the guise of a humanitarian operation, and we see a military build-up that could be used to conduct such illegal military operations in Ukraine," said Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.Responding to news of the convoy's departure, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned that the mission could be a way for the Russian military to install itself in eastern Ukraine and present the world with a fait accompli."This [convoy] is only possible, only justifiable, if the Red Cross authorises it... And Ukraine is in agreement," he said."As I speak to you, this has not happened. They should not be authorised to pass."Ukraine has reported in recent days that Russia has massed 45,000 troops on its border.However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the idea of using the aid convoy as an excuse for military action as "absurd" and said the mission was purely humanitarian and non-military.He said the point of entry into Ukraine would be agreed with the Ukrainian government.The fighting has prevented a full investigation of the MH17 air disaster on 17 July, in which 298 people died.It is strongly suspected that the plane was shot down by pro-Russian rebels. Russia and the separatists have blamed the Ukrainian military.Speaking on Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he hoped to find a way for Ukraine to work with Russia to help bring about a formal investigation into the crash.(BBC)Bakudaily.Az