Ukrainian plane shot down, 8 missing

A Ukrainian military transport plane had crashed in the eastern region of the country after it was hit by a rebel missile.

The whereabouts of the crew of 8 people aboard the aircraft remain unknown and a search and rescue mission is currently underway.

Ukrainian officials strongly believe that the rocket, which they said was a very powerful one, was fired from Russian territory.

As for the crew of 8, media reports that they had been captured by rebel forces and are being held captives.

‘It has become clear that the plane was shot down at the height of 6,500 meters. Mobile rocket launchers, which are used by rebels now, cannot shoot the plane down at this height, which means AN-26 was shot down by another more powerful weapon which was used probably from the territory of the Russian Federation,’ declared Andriy Lysenko, Ukrainian national security and defense spokesperson.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, in Russia, troops have been building up near the Ukraine, as NATO declared. Russia, on the other hand, denies offering any support to rebel forces and invited official to monitor its border activities.