Ukraine says rebels shot down fighter jets

Kiev accuses pro- Russian separatists of shooting
down MiG - 29 fighter jet in contested Luhansk
region.
A Ukrainian fighter jet has been shot down while
flying over rebel -held territory in the restive
east, as Kiev accused Moscow of supplying rebels
with a convoy of rocket launchers.
Ukraine's military blamed pro- Russian
separatists of shooting down the MiG - 29 jet on
Sunday morning, close to the Russian border .
Military spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky told Al
Jazeera the aircraft was downed in the Luhansk
region after carrying out an attack on rebels .
The military said the pilot had ejected and had
been found alive and well after a search.
Hours later , Ukraine's military spokesman said a
convoy of rocket launchers had crossed over from
Russia in the past 24 hours.
Andriy Lysenko accused Russia of sending over
three Grad missile systems, and Russian drones
of violating Ukrainian air space on 10 occasions.
Al Jazeera 's Emma Hayward , reporting from the
Ukrainian town of Novotroyitske, said that
despite Ukrainian forces making several
advances into rebel - held territory , it looked like
the separatists still held considerable fire- power .
The flashpoint city of Luhansk is encircled by
Ukrainian forces and is reportedly suffering
from severe electrical outages and shortages of
food and medicine .
Fleeing residents told Human Rights Watch there
was no gas and mobile phone coverage in the
city, and it was difficult finding drinking water
and food .
Donetsk, the largest rebel - held city , is also
suffering frequent fighting including shelling .
The city 's mayor said at least 10 civilians were
killed and eight injured during heavy artillery
shelling on Saturday .
Fighting in Ukraine has escalated since the
insurgency arose in April , with government troops
steadily taking back rebel - held territory in the
east.
Russian aid convoy
The latest fighting comes as a Russian aid
convoy waiting on the Ukrainian border began
edging closer to Ukraine.
The delay followed fears from Kiev and the West
that the convoy could be a pretext to help the
rebels in eastern Ukraine, or provide Moscow with
an excuse to send in the 20, 000 troops that NATO
says it has massed on the border .
Russia insists the trucks are carrying water , food
and medicine to suffering civilians in the region .
However, in a video reportedly posted online this
weekend, the leader of the self -proclaimed rebel
government in the Donetsk region , Alexander
Zakharchenko , said new military equipment was
on its way from Russia.
He said the shipment included tanks and about
1 , 200 fighters who have undergone training in
Russia.
Ukraine's president , Petro Poroshenko , said
Ukraine had destroyed a large number of military vehicles that had recently crossed from
Russia.
Russia has consistently denied allegations that it
is supporting the rebels with equipment or
training.
The United Nations says more than 285, 000 people
have fled fighting in Ukraine' s east.
Follow Evidnels Nelson on twitter @ MztaNelz