Report: Two Ukrainian Fighter Jets Shot Down Near MH17 Crash Site
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Wednesday morning that two Ukrainian fighter jets have been shot down in the country's east, where pro-Russian rebels have taken control. The jets reportedly crashed just miles from the area where Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down last week.
The Sukhoi-25 fighters were shot down 1:30 p.m. local time Wednesday over an area called Savur Mogila.
Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksiy Dmitrashkovsky says the planes may have been carrying up to two crew members each.
The incident occurred just after the jets completed a training exercise near the Russian border, according to Ukraine's Defense Ministry. Officials said both pilots ejected.
Meanwhile, planes carrying the bodies of the MH17 crash victims are headed from Kharkiv, Ukraine to the Netherlands. The BBC reports that "Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will meet the planes in Eindhoven, amid a national day of mourning." There were 193 Dutch victims in the crash.
The U.S.'s latest intelligence is that pro-Russian rebels likely downed the plane with an SA-11 missile they got from Russia. Intelligence officials said Tuesday that the rebels probably shot MH17 by mistake, thinking it was a fighter jet.
[Image via AP]