Ukraine accused Russia for shooting down a Ukrainian military plane Monday, July 14, along its eastern border with Russia.
According to the National Post, Rebels in eastern Ukraine admitted right after the attack that they hunted down the Antonov-26. However, Ukrainian Defence Minister Valeriy Heletey said Russia might had been involved. Heletey said the plane was hit at an altitude of 6,500 meters and the separatists fighting government troops’ weapons could not reach that high.
Ukraine also accused Russia that it violated the country’s airspace by allowing weapons and fighters to cross to help rebels and troops.
Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko said Ukraine had evidence of Russia attacking its border guards, and Russian helicopters and drones crossing over the boundary.
The Reuters reported that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had further evidence to prove the country’s claim.
“Information has…been confirmed that Russian staff officers are taking part in military operations against Ukrainian forces,” Poroshenko said.
Moscow blamed Ukraine for killing a Russian man with a cross-border shell earlier. The fighting between two cities was intense that Ukrainian forces said several hundred Ukrainian servicemen, citizens and rebels have been killed.
“The developments of recent days show the Russian side has taken a course of escalation,” Lysenko said. “Now Russia is trying to present the shooting as an attack from the Ukrainian army. Those accusations are groundless.”
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