Ukraine military plane downed

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with his defense and security chiefs on Saturday to discuss a response to the downing of a military plane by pro-Russian separatists.

"All those involved in cynical acts of terrorism of this magnitude must be punished," Poroshenko said in a press release. "Ukraine needs peace. However, the terrorists will receive an adequate response."

According to Ukraine's military, rebels fired on the Illyuhsin-76 transport plane with anti-aircraft and heavy machine guns as it prepared to land in the eastern city of Luhansk early on Saturday. The aircraft was carrying troops on rotation, machinery, equipment and supplies.

Nine crew and 40 soldiers were on board when the plane went down, all of whom perished, according to the state prosecutor's office. The prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation into the incident under Ukraine's anti-terrorism laws.

Ukraine's pro-Western government controls Luhansk airport, but the city proper is in the hands of pro-Russian rebels. Local media reported fighting between security forces and rebels in the city on Saturday. Luhansk has a population of 400,000 and is located 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the Russian border.

US: Russia supplying weapons

Washington accused Moscow on Friday of supplying the rebels in eastern Ukraine with heavy weaponry. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said that a convoy of armored vehicles, including three T-64 tanks, had crossed the border from Russia into Ukraine.

According to Harf, the three tanks and several BM-21 "Grad" rocket launchers moved into the Ukrainian towns of Snizhne, Torez and Makiyivka over the past three days. The T-64 is a Soviet-era main battle tank first introduced in the 1960s. It is no longer used by Russian forces.

"We assess that separatists in eastern Ukraine have acquired heavy weapons and military equipment from Russia, including Russian tanks and multiple rocket launchers," the State Department spokeswoman told a media briefing on Friday.

"This is unacceptable," Harf said. "A failure by Russia to de-escalate the situation will lead to additional costs."

Pre-empting potential Russian claims that the tanks were captured from Ukrainian forces, Harf went on to say that "no Ukrainian tank unit has been operating in the area."

"We are confident these tanks came from Russia," she said.

Denis Pushilin, leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, confirmed to Russia state television that his forces were in possession of the tanks. But Pushilin said that "it was improper to ask" where the armor came from.

"They are in Donetsk and are the minimum we have to defend the city," he said.

slk/kms (dpad, AFPD)