Pro-Russian separatists down plane

Pro-Russian separatists shot down a military transport plane Saturday in the country's restive east, killing all 49 service personnel on board, Ukrainian officials said.

It was a bitter setback for Ukrainian forces, which have struggled to suppress an armed insurgency by foes of the new government.

Nine crew and 40 troops were aboard the Il-76 when it went down early Saturday as it approached the airport at the city of Luhansk, the Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said in a statement. (AP)

Find more news related pictures on our photo galleries page and follow us on Tumblr.