Pro-Russia rebels have shot down two Ukrainian military jets in the eastern part of the country on Wednesday, just days after the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash.
The incident has once again sparked debate over the capabilities of the rebels and the involvement of Russia.
CNN reported that two Ukrainian military jets were shot down on Wednesday in the pro-Russian, rebel-held eastern part of the country. The report also claimed that a Ukrainian military office confirmed the incident.
The pilots of the jets reportedly had to bail out, after the two jets were shot down by an air defense system. However, it is yet to be confirmed, whether the jets were shot down by the rebels or Russia.
The report noted that an air defense system shot down the jets when the pilots were completing a routine task near Dmytrivka, near the Ukraine-Russia border.
It has hardly been a week since the rebels allegedly fired a missile on MH17, carrying 298 passengers from Amsterdam. The bodies of the victims are currently in the process of being brought to the Netherlands.
Since the crisis, pro-Russia rebels have targeted several Ukrainian government aircrafts and helicopters. It is reported that separatists are armed with Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), and since June they have downed at least 10 government aircrafts, reported Business Insider.
Military Aviation Expert David Cenciotti, however, noted that all Ukrainian aircraft shot down by the rebels were low-flying than the Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777. And they were all shot down using MANPADS.
However, it is alleged that MH17 was shot down using BUK missiles, which can fire on aircraft cruising well-above 33,000 altitude. It is also suspected that the rebels brought down the Malaysian passenger aircraft by mistake.
A Ukrainian transport plane, which had been carrying 40 paratroopers and nine crew members, was shot by the rebels on 13 June. Since then, the rebels have downed five Mi-24 Hinds, two Mi-8 helicopters, one An-2, one An-30, and a Ukrainian transport plane, it has been reported.
