Key Takeaways:
- 14 people have died from a helicopter crash in the Ukrainian city of Brovary
- Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Denis Monastyrsky and his deputy was among those killed by the crash
- The incident marks the first death of a high-ranking official since the war began
YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Denis Monastyrsky and at least 14 other people died in an unfortunate helicopter crash on Wednesday, January 18. According to local media reports, the crash took place in Brovary, some 20 kilometers outside of the capital Kyiv.
The internal affairs ministry reported that the First Deputy Minister Yevgeny Enin and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yury Lubkovich were also among the dead. Casualties included some children and several other civilians that were on the ground when the helicopter crashed in a local kindergarten.
While President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called it a “terrible tragedy”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country described it as a “catastrophe”.
According to agencies, the helicopter was a French Super Puma. As a result of the catastrophe, the entire side of the kindergarten building caught fire. The governor of the Kyiv region has confirmed that children and staff were inside the premises when the helicopter crashed.
The real reason for the crash is still not known. Officials are probing the incident for possible causes, including sabotage as well as a technical malfunction. So far, there is no reason to believe that Russia was behind the incident.
However, many people have pointed out that the Kremlin is responsible for the deaths. Had Russia not begun its unilateral invasion, helicopters would not fly so low in Brovary, which was the target of fierce shelling by Russian forces.
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Condolences pour in for those killed in the helicopter crash
As soon as the news spread about the unfortunate incident, condolences began pouring in from the international community. Several state dignitaries and officials joined in paying their respects to the victims.
“My thoughts are with Ukraine and the families of the victims in today’s tragic helicopter crash in Brovary. Among them Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyy and several of his colleagues. Sweden stands with Ukraine,”
the office of Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson announced.
Ilia Darchiashvili, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia was also among those who sent their condolences. In a message to his Ukrainian counterpart, he wished a speedy recovery to those that sustained injuries in the crash.
Several other officials and heads of state have also joined in sending condolences to Ukraine.
Denis Monastyrsky is the seniormost official to die since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began nearly a year ago. The country’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called him and his colleagues “true Ukrainian patriots”. He further stated that their deaths are a “huge loss for all of us.”
The Government has appointed the head of Ukraine’s national police force, Ihor Klymenko, as acting interior minister following Mr. Monastyrsky’s death.
