KYIV, Ukraine – A Ukrainian official said a passenger plane carrying 295 people was shot down Thursday over a town in eastern Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines tweeted that it lost contact with one of its flights over Ukrainian airspace.
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Both the president of Ukraine and a separatist leader denied shooting anything down Thursday.
Separatist leader Andrei Purgin told The Associated Press that he was certain that Ukrainian troops had shot it down but gave no explanation for that statement.
Purgin said he was not aware of whether rebel forces owned Buk missile launchers, but even if they did, they had no fighters capable of operating it.