2014-08-21 10:45:00

Ukrainian warplane shot down


(Vatican Radio) A Ukrainian warplane was shot down over rebel-held territory amid fierce fighting with government troops, leaving more than 50 people dead in the Donetsk region alone. The clashes come as Kiev claims to have made a significant push into rebel territory, ahead of upcoming talks between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia. 

Ukraine's military said it now controls large parts of what was the rebel stronghold of Luhansk.

An Su-25 fighter jet was shot down near Luhansk, though a spokesperson said it was too early to tell who had downed the plane or what happened to the pilot. Several other Ukrainian planes were downed by pro-Russian rebels in the past. 

It did little to halt an offensive in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian troops have nearly encircled Donetsk. That city of one million people has shrunk by one-third as frightened residents flee. 

DRAMATIC SHORTAGES

Those unable to leave Donetsk try to survive amid shelling that has killed dozens of people in the past two days. 

Residents are running out of food and water. "There are no reserves in storage, so we need to buy water in the bigger shops because the other stores are empty,” complained a shop manager. 

“Elderly people have asked me to bring them some water, so that’s what I’m doing,” shouted another man while loading dozens of bottles of water into his car.

A Russian humanitarian aid convoy remains stuck near Ukraine's border, as the International Committee of the Red Cross demands security guarantees from all sides. 

INTERNATIONAL TALKS 

The latest clashes come while Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin prepare to meet next week in Minsk, Belarus, to discuss the crisis for the first time in months. 

Heads of Belarus, Kazakhstan and European Union officials will also attend the meeting, aimed at ending a conflict in which more than 2,000 people died.  

The talks will come after German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Kiev Saturday to boost support for Ukraine's pro-Western leadership.

The EU and the United States have accused Russia of supporting the pro-Russian separatists. Moscow denies involvement, saying Kiev, backed by Western allies, is "subjecting" thousands of Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine "to artillery bombardments and shortages of water and power".

Listen to the report by Stefan Bos:








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