Kiev, Feb 26 (TIWN) Ukraine has shot down a Russian transport plane IL-76 near Vasylkiv town in Kiev region, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement on Facebook, Xinhua news agency reported.

Russia "attacked one of the military units on Victory Avenue in Kyiv. The attack was repulsed," Ukraine's army said on its verified Facebook page, without specifying where exactly the incident took place.

An AFP journalist said there were loud explosions heard in central Kyiv early on Saturday.

In a separate post, the army said "heavy fighting" was underway in the town of Vasylkiv south of Kyiv, adding that Russia was "trying to land paratroopers".

The military also said it had shot down a Russian helicopter and SU-25 aircraft at around midnight on Saturday, and posted that an IL-76 military transport plane had been destroyed.