A helicopter carrying 16 people, including the Ukrainian interior minister, crashed on the outskirts of Kiiw on the 18th (local time). Archyde.com Yonhap News
At least 18 people were killed when a helicopter carrying Ukrainian ministers and deputy ministers crashed on the outskirts of Kiiu on the 18th (local time), foreign media including Archyde.com and the Associated Press reported.
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Denis Monastirsky, Deputy Interior Minister Yeuheny Jenin and Interior Minister Yuriy Lubkovich were on board when a State Emergency Service helicopter crashed in Brovary, east of the capital, Kyiv, and collided with a kindergarten building, according to Ukrainian police. 18 people died, including
Monastirski, who was in charge of affairs such as security and emergency services, was recorded as the highest-ranking official to have died since the war in Ukraine.
Helicopter crash site outside Kiev, Ukraine. twitter capture
Nine of the 18 people killed were senior officials from the Interior Ministry and the National Emergency Service who were in the helicopter. A helicopter crashed near a kindergarten, killing three children.
A total of 29 people were injured, including 15 children, said Kyiv Governor Oleksi Kuleva. The BBC reported that the helicopter crashed into a kindergarten building and then a residential building in dark and foggy weather.
The Office of the President of Ukraine explained that on this day, a delegation of the Interior Minister was traveling by helicopter to the frontline areas in the east. “The purpose of the flight was to carry out (specific) operations in one of the areas where hostilities are ongoing,” Kirilo Tymoshenko, deputy director of the presidential office, told local media.
It is not known whether the accident was caused by pilot failure or equipment failure, or was caused by a Russian attack. There have been no recent reports of direct combat in Kieu. Attorney General Andriy Kostin told Telegram that “at this time we are considering all possible types of helicopter crashes”. Russia did not take a specific position on the incident.
Prime Minister Denis Schmihal delivered his condolences to the families of the victims, calling it a “huge loss for Ukraine”. EU Council President Charles Michel said, “Minister Monastirski was a great friend of the EU. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims, President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Schmihal and the people of Ukraine.”
The incident comes just four days following Russia launched a missile attack on an apartment building in southeastern Ukraine, killing 45 civilians, including six children. Kirilo Tymoshenko, deputy director of the Office of the President of Ukraine, lamented, saying, “There was no time to recover from one tragedy, but another tragedy arose.”