Two Russian transport planes shot down around Kyiv, Ukraine says
At least two Russian military transport planes have been shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, Ukrainian officials said early Saturday morning.
An IL-76 heavy transport plane was shot down near Vasylkiv, a city roughly 25 miles south of Kyiv, said Ukraine’s top general, Valeriy Zaluzhniy. The Kyiv Independent reported the news, noting that the aircraft can carry up to 150 troops.
Another IL-76 was brought down by Ukraine's air defense near Bila Tserkva, which is also south of Kyiv, said Ukraine’s State Agency for Special Communications.
The shoot-downs happened as explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv throughout the night as Russian forces approached. In the course of the onslaught, Russian troops were repelled while attacking a military unit in Kyiv, the Ukrainian military said.