Ukraine army plane shot down by rebels

Separatist rebels have shot down a Ukrainian army plane as fighting raged in the eastern town of Slavyansk.

A spokesman for Ukraine’s so-called anti-terrorist operation confirmed a plane carrying humanitarian aid had been shot down.

Meanwhile, hundreds of children have been evacuated from troubled areas of Luhansk.

They were welcomed in the port city of Odessa by officials from the region’s education board.

A train carried nearly 500 children, whose ages range from 3 to 17, fleeing violence in Luhansk.

They have either been orphaned or are said to “lack adequate parental care.”

Many have seen the battle raging between Ukrainian forces and separatists in the east of the country.

One young teenager described their last night in their hometown Schastiya in Luhansk: “At first it was fine, but then it became scary, when they started bombing. We were hiding in cellars.”

The children will stay in Odessa for at least two months, but this could be prolonged if unrest continues in Luhansk.