( CNN ) -- Four crew members escaped and two others were taken hostage from the crash of a Ukrainian transport plane hit by a rocket over the Luhansk region near the Russian border , a Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said Tuesday . All eight on board the plane downed Monday were Ukrainians , Seleznyov said . In addition , two others remain missing , he said . It 's unclear who is responsible for taking hostages . The four who escaped `` are in a safe location , '' the Defense Ministry said . Video posted to YouTube appears to show people watching as at least one person parachutes and a huge plume of dark smoke rises from the ground . The rocket that struck the plane Monday appears to have come from Russia , Kiev officials said . The Ukrainian military has been battling pro-Russian separatists in the area where the Antonov-26 aircraft went down , officials said . The plane 's altitude was too high to be fired on from the ground with a portable missile system , according to a statement from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko . The plane was hit with `` a more powerful missile weapon that was probably used from the territory of the Russian Federation , '' the statement said . A spokeswoman with the Russian President 's office said Monday she could not confirm any missile had been fired from the Russian Federation . On Friday , pro-Russian separatists fired rockets at a Ukrainian military camp in the Luhansk region , killing 19 troops and injuring at least 55 others , according to Ukraine 's counterterrorism office . CNN 's Elwyn Lopez contributed to this report .
All eight on the downed plane were Ukrainian , Defense Ministry spokesman says . Three escaped after being hit ; others took cover , official said . Kiev officials say rocket that struck plane crash appears to have come from Russia .