A Ukrainian military transport plane was shot down by pro-Russian separatists early Saturday morning, killing all 49 people on board, The Wall Street Journal has learned.

According to a statement released by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the Il-76 plane was shot down by "terrorists" who had "cynically and treacherously" fired shoulder launched missiles and heavy machine guns at the aircraft until it had crashed near the government-controlled Luhansk International Airport, BBC reported.

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Majority of Luhansk city is controlled by pro-Russia separatists who have declared independence from Kiev.

Preliminary investigations suggested all nine crew members and 40 military personnel on board were killed in the crash, said military spokesman Vladislav Seleznov.

Foreign government officials from Germany, France and the U.S. have expressed increasing concerns over the incident, which is the second plane shooting this month after the U.S. confirmed that Russia had provided arms, tanks and missiles to pro-Russian rebels.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization had also taken images, which revealed Russian tanks entering the Ukrainian border.

"Russia will claim these tanks were taken from Ukrainian forces, but no Ukrainian tank units have been operating in that area. We are confident that these tanks came from Russia," a U.S. state department spokeswoman said.

While Russian President Vladimir Putin consistently denies allegations of supporting rebels in Ulraine, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called for the European Union to levy immediate sanctions against Russia.

Poroshenko, who was recently elected and inaugurated last Sunday, also called for a meeting on Monday to address the incident and maintain unity over the entire country. He said that military forces had tightened their security operations and announced Ukraine's stance against the pro-Russia rebels.

"For the sake of peace, we will act decisively and purposefully across which the terrorists get weapons, equipment, reinforcements and money," he said.

TagsUkraine, Russia, Kiev, Vladislav Seleznov, Luhansk, Petro Poroshenko, European Union, EU, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Il-76, separatist, rebel, Terrorist, plane shooting, plane crash