烏克蘭拒絕俄援助車隊進入烏東地區

Ukraine will refuse entry to a convoy of 280 Russian trucks carrying humanitarian aid to the east of the country amid fears in Kiev and western capitals that Moscow’s mission is aimed at shoring up a separatist rebellion.

烏克蘭將拒絕280輛運載人道援助物資的俄羅斯卡車進入烏東部地區。烏克蘭和西方國家擔心俄羅斯此舉意在給分裂分子的叛亂活動打氣。

The Ukrainian government said any illegal crossing into its territory would be an act of aggression after Moscow hastily dispatched the vehicles with 2,000 tonnes of aid towards the border.

在莫斯科方面急匆匆地向俄烏邊境派出這支裝載2000噸援助物資的車隊之後，烏克蘭政府表示，任何非法越境進入其領土的行爲都將是侵略行爲。

Russia’s emergency ministry said that the convoy – destined for the rebel-held city of Lugansk, which is surrounded by pro-Kiev forces – was part of an agreement to provide assistance under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

俄羅斯緊急事務部(Emergency Ministry)表示，目的地爲目前被烏克蘭政府軍包圍、由叛軍佔據的盧甘斯克市(Lugansk)的該車隊，是一項在紅十字國際委員會(ICRC)統籌下提供援助的協議的一部分。

But the ICRC said it was “not in charge” of the convoy and had not clarified details of its contents. Valeriy Chalyi, a senior Ukrainian official, said if Russian aid was transferred to Red Cross trucks as per the agreement, it would be accepted.

但紅十字國際委員會表示，其“並未負責”該車隊，也尚未澄清車上物資的詳細情況。烏克蘭高級官員瓦列裏•查爾伊(Valeriy Chalyi)表示，如果俄羅斯按協議要求，將援助物資交給紅十字會卡車運輸，那將是可以接受的。

The confusion over Moscow’s intentions amplified concerns that it could use humanitarian suffering as a pretext for direct intervention as Kiev’s troops gear up for a wider assault in the east of the country, where pro-Russian separatists have been rapidly losing ground.

圍繞莫斯科意圖的困惑，加大瞭如下擔憂——在烏克蘭部隊準備在東部發起全面攻勢之際，俄羅斯可能以人道苦難爲藉口進行直接干預。親俄分裂分子目前在烏克蘭東部節節敗退。

François Hollande, the French president, spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin yesterday to express his “very serious concerns at the prospect of a unilateral Russian mission on Ukrainian territory”, the Elysée Palace said in a statement.

愛麗捨宮(Elysee Palace)發表聲明稱，法國總統弗朗索瓦•奧朗德(François Hollande)昨日與俄總統弗拉基米爾•普京(Vladimir Putin)通話，表達他“對俄羅斯可能在烏克蘭領土上採取單邊行動的嚴重關切”。

Fears of a new flashpoint between Kiev and Moscow sent Ukraine’s currency, the hryvnia, tumbling to a record low against the dollar.

對於烏克蘭與俄羅斯之間出現新爆發點的擔憂，推動烏克蘭貨幣格里夫尼亞(hryvnia)兌美元的匯率跌至創紀錄低點。

The crisis is also weighing on the eurozone economy. A German index of financial market confidence, the ZEW, recorded an 8.6 per cent drop in August, as German companies cut back investments following tougher sanctions on Russia.

這場危機也令歐元區經濟承壓。對俄羅斯實施更嚴厲制裁後，隨着德國企業削減投資，反映金融市場信心的德國歐洲經濟研究中心(ZEW)指數在8月下跌了8.6%。

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday telephoned his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and urged him to do all he could to allow the mission to go ahead, his ministry said.

俄羅斯外交部表示，俄外長謝爾蓋•拉夫羅夫(Sergei Lavrov)昨日致電德國外長弗蘭克-沃爾特•施泰因邁爾(Frank-Walter Steinmeier)，敦促他盡最大努力讓俄方車隊完成援助使命。

Last night, Mr Lavrov said he had received a note from Ukraine’s foreign ministry confirming Kiev’s willingness to accept Russian aid. “Movement has been started,” he said.

昨夜，拉夫羅夫稱他已收到烏克蘭外交部的照會，證實烏方願意接受俄羅斯的援助。“運送已經開始了，”他說。

Russia’s foreign ministry said the convoy would travel through Shebekino-Pletnevka, a frontier checkpoint between the Russian city of Belgorod and Kharkiv on the Ukrainian side. “After crossing the border, the convoy will proceed under the auspices of the ICRC,” it said.

俄羅斯外交部稱，車隊將取道俄羅斯別爾哥羅德市(Belgorod)和烏克蘭哈爾科夫市(Kharkiv)之間的Shebekino-Pletnevka邊境檢查站過境。“過境後，車隊將在國際紅十字會的統領下前進，”俄外交部稱。

The trucks contain power generation units, food, water and medical supplies and did not have a military escort, Moscow said. However, pictures on social media sites suggested that at least part of the convoy had been put together by soldiers.

俄方稱，這些卡車裝運了發電設備、食物、水和醫療用品，但沒有軍隊護送。然而社交媒體網站上發佈的畫面似乎顯示，至少一部分車隊是由軍人組成的。

Alabino, the town southwest of Moscow where the regional government said the convoy started, is home to a base of an elite military unit.

俄羅斯地方政府稱，車隊是從莫斯科西南方向上的阿拉比諾(Alabino)鎮啓程的。該鎮也是俄羅斯一支精英部隊的大本營。

Moscow has been under intensifying pressure to launch a humanitarian mission to Ukraine’s east and Mr Putin is eager to demonstrate his determination to support the Russian-speaking population in the region, which Russia says is threatened by a humanitarian crisis.

俄羅斯政府面臨越來越大的壓力，要求其在烏克蘭東部展開人道主義行動，普京也渴望展示他支持該地區俄語人羣的決心。俄方稱，這些人正面臨一場人道主義危機的威脅。

However, Ukraine’s foreign ministry has accused Russia of creating the unfolding humanitarian crisis by continuing to arm local militants, supplying fresh rebel and firing artillery and missiles from its territory upon Ukrainian soldiers and residential areas.

然而，烏克蘭外交部指責俄羅斯持續向當地武裝分子提供武器，輸送新的反叛分子，還從俄羅斯境內向烏克蘭部隊官兵和居民區開炮和發射導彈，從而製造了當下的人道主義危機。