Russia 'downs Ukraine plane'
July 17, 2014
A Russian jet has shot down a Ukrainian SU-25 fighter plane over eastern Ukraine, a military spokesman in Kyiv said on Thursday.
Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's national Defense and Security Council, told journalists that the plane was brought down by a rocket strike on Wednesday night while on military operations.
He said the pilot ejected safely.
The incident appeared likely to escalate tensions along the border between Russia and Ukraine, as Kyiv seeks to quell a pro-Russian separatist rebellion in the east of the country.
More incidents
This comes as Ukraine increasingly accuses Russia's armed forces of being involved in attacks on Ukrainian troops fighting the insurgents.
It is also the third reported incident this week in which a Ukrainian plane has been hit.
Kyiv said on Monday that one of its An-26 military transport planes had been downed by a missile fired from Russian territory. Two of the eight people on board were killed in the crash, the military said.
On Wednesday, another SU-25 was hit by a rebel missile, but landed safely. Ukraine did not blame Russian involvement in that attack, which was claimed by the pro-Moscow rebels.
Angry reaction
Moscow denies charges from the West and Ukraine that it is supporting the separatists across the border or fomenting the insurgency.
The United States on Wednesday nonetheless imposed tougher sanctions on Moscow, while the European Union said it would introduce similar ones later in the month.
The US measures are the toughest yet against Moscow, and prompted a strong reaction from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
Putin said they would stalemate bilateral relations and damage American businesses along with the Russian ones.
The three-month pro-Russian insurgency has killed hundreds of civilians and rebels, as well as more than 270 Ukrainian servicemen.
tj/pfd (Reuters, AFP)