Strasbourg 18.01.2023 The three leading figures in Ukraine’s interior Ministry have been killed in a helicopter crash next to a nursery in an eastern suburb of the capital Kyiv – Brovary.
Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, 42, died alongside his first deputy Minister and State secretary.
Nine people were killed when the helicopter came down in Brovary and another nine died on the ground, including three children.
Minister Monastyrsky is the highest profile Ukrainian casualty since the war broke out on February 24, 2022.
The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said the Minister had been on errand to a war “hot spot” when his helicopter went down.
There is no indication the crash was anything other than an accident, although witnesses said Russia’s war was to blame for the disaster.
“It was very foggy and there was no electricity, and when there’s no electricity there are no lights on the buildings,” local resident Volodymyr told the BBC.
The 42-year-old Interior minister was a prominent member of President Volodymy Zelensky’s cabinet. The top executive played a key role in updating the public on casualties caused by Russian missile strikes since Ukraine was invaded in February 2022.
Anna Van Densky blog 