Ukraine military plane shot down near Russian border

krainian military transport aircraft has been shot down in the east, amid fighting with pro-Russian separatist rebels, Ukrainian officials say. 

They say the An-26 plane was hit at an altitude of 6,500m (21,325ft). 

The plane was targeted with "a more powerful missile" than a shoulder-carried missile, "probably fired" from Russia. The crew survived, reports say. 

Russia has made no comment. Separately, Nato reported a Russian troop build-up near the Ukraine border. 

A Nato official confirmed to the BBC that the alliance had observed a significant increase of Russian troops, bringing their number to up to 12,000. 

Russia denies supporting and arming the separatists, and has invited officials from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to monitor its border with Ukraine. 

BBC