Ukraine unrest: 49 killed as pro-Russian rebels shoot down army plane in Luhansk, defence ministry says

Updated

Up to 49 Ukrainian military personnel have been killed after pro-Russian rebels shot down a cargo plane over the airport of the eastern city of Luhansk.

The defence ministry says the separatists fired on the military transport aircraft IL-76, which was carrying troops and supplies, with a large-calibre machine gun.

"On the night of June 13-14, the terrorists ... fired from an anti-aircraft weapon and a large calibre machine gun, shooting down military transport aircraft ... as it was about to land," the ministry said in a statement.

Military spokesman Vladislav Seleznov said it appeared 49 troops had been killed.

"This is our preliminary information," he said. "Details about how many people were on board are still being checked."

The toll would be the biggest suffered by government forces in a single incident since Kiev started a military operation to try to defeat the insurgency in east Ukraine, which the rebels want to be part of Russia.

The attack came as video footage emerged showing Russian tanks equipped with heavy weapons and rocket launchers moving through multiple cities in eastern Ukraine.

A senior State Department official says US Secretary of State John Kerry has called Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and expressed condolences for the death of the 49 troops.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Kerry underscored to Mr Yatsenyuk "the commitment of the United States and G7 partners to raise the costs for Russia if it does not end the flow of weapons across the border and break with separatists."

Mr Kerry also called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, voicing the United States' "strong concern" about the transport of heavy weapons and militants across the Russian border into eastern Ukraine, and the downing of the transport plane.

"He pressed Foreign Minister Lavrov to make clear Russia's commitment to de-escalation and peace by ending the flow of weapons and support to separatists, and actively working with Ukraine for a ceasefire, amnesty, and political dialogue," the official said.

Ukraine alleged on Thursday that three tanks had crossed from Russia into its territory, underscoring the growing tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

Moscow has denied the allegation, earlier raised by Ukrainian interior minister Arsen Avakov, who stopped short of accusing Russia of being behind the reported incursion.

ABC/wires

Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, death, ukraine

First posted