Ukrainian spokesman says convoy not certified by Red Cross, raising fears that Russia could use initiative to send in troops

A Ukrainian security spokesman has said that a humanitarian convoy Russia has dispatched to eastern Ukraine will not be admitted into the country.

Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's national security and defence council, said the convoy had not been certified by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

A convoy of 280 Russian trucks headed for Ukraine early on Tuesday, a day after agreement was reached on an international humanitarian relief mission.

But the ICRC, which was due to coordinate the operation, said it had no information on what the trucks were carrying or where they were going. That has raised fears in Ukraine and the west, where leaders have voiced concerns that Russia could use the initiative as a pretext for sending troops into separatist-held territory.

An aide to the Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, said Kiev would require the ICRC to reload the aid onto other transport vehicles at the border if it was to enter. "We will not allow any escort by the emergencies ministry of Russia or by the military. Everything will be under the control of the Ukrainian side," Valery Chaly said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Itar-Tass news agency said the convoy has departed from near Moscow, meaning it would take it a couple of days to arrive in east Ukraine, about 620 miles (1,000km) to the south-west. "It has all been agreed with Ukraine," Business FM radio quoted President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, as saying.

Thousands of people are said to be short of water, electricity and medical aid because of the fighting. The US president, Barack Obama, has said any Russian intervention without Kiev's consent would be unacceptable and violate international law.

The European commission president, José Manuel Barroso, warned on Monday "against any unilateral military actions in Ukraine, under any pretext, including humanitarian".

The Russian state television channel Rossiya 24 showed several white trucks setting off from the town of Alabino near Moscow. A correspondent at the scene said the convoy should arrive at the Ukrainian border in two to three days, where it would meet ICRC representatives.

Russia has said it would deliver the aid with the ICRC.

The ICRC said on Monday that it had submitted a document to Russian and Ukrainian officials, but that it needed agreement from all parties and security guarantees to carry out the operation, as it does not use armed escorts.

"The practical details of this operation need to be clarified before this initiative can move forward," said Laurent Corbaz, ICRC's head of operations for Europe and central Asia.

According to UN agencies, more than 1,100 people have been killed including government forces, rebels and civilians in the four months since the separatists seized territory in the east and Kiev launched its crackdown.