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A Ukrainian military transport plane was shot down Monday along the country’s eastern border with Russia, the defence minister said.

Rebels in conflict-wracked eastern Ukraine immediately claimed responsibility for downing the Antonov-26 but Ukrainian Defence Minister Valeriy Heletey said the rocket may have been fired from Russia.

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Heletey said the plane was flying at an altitude of 6,500 metres, which he said was too high to be reached with the weapons used by the separatists fighting government troops.

Ukrainian authorities say plane may have been carrying around 20 people but there was no immediate word on casualties.

Fighting intensified Monday around Luhansk as government forces stepped up efforts to disrupt rebel lines and reclaim more territory from the faltering insurgency. One resident said panic was gripping the city.

Despite reports of military successes, however, Ukraine’s president announced he has more evidence that Russia has directly supported a separatist insurgency against his government that is dragging into its fourth month.