Russia has sent a convoy of humanitarian aid to the rebel-held city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists has left residents without electricity or water supplies for days. The Red Cross was due to coordinate the relief effort but says Russia appears to have gone ahead on its own. The move has heightened fears of direct Russian intervention in the region, where Ukraine says 45,000 Russian troops have massed along the border. On Monday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russian intervention appeared likely.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen: “There is a high probability. 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.”