In the latest report of unrest in Ukraine, a transport military plane with 9 crew, 40 military men was shot down by separatist. This has been one of the biggest incidents to this date between growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia. BBC reports that this Il-76 transport plane was shot by anti-air craft weapons fired above the city of Luhansk.
[BBC News Excerpt]
–“Military spokesman Vladislav Seleznov said “preliminary information” suggested 49 military personnel on board the aircraft were killed.
The incident came less than a week after pro-Russia rebels launched a series of attacks on Ukrainian forces at Luhansk International Airport.
The airport has been under the control of government forces but the rebels hold most of the rest of the city.
Luhansk is the main city of one of two eastern regions where pro-Russia separatists have declared independence from Kiev.
The “anti-terrorist operation” by Ukraine government forces has left at least 270 people dead over the past two months.
Ukraine’s new President Petro Poroshenko had said that fighting must end “this week” following his inauguration in Kiev last Sunday.
Meanwhile, the US said it was confident that tanks being used by separatists in eastern Ukraine came from Russia.
“Russia will claim these tanks were taken from Ukrainian forces, but no Ukrainian tank units have been operating in that area,” a US state department spokeswoman said.
“We are confident that these tanks came from Russia,” she added.
The appearance of the tanks, filmed in various towns in the Donetsk region, sparked a row between Kiev and Moscow.
Russia has denied allegations that the tanks had entered Ukraine from its territory.”–
Check out the video below of other unrest stories unfolding in Eastern Ukraine.
Product Of Society 