Shocking helicopter crash in Ukraine kills Interior Ministry leadership

On the morning of January 18, a Ukrainian Emergency Service helicopter crashed near a kindergarten in Brovary, a town near Kyiv.

Interior minister Denys Monastyrskyi died in the crash

Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs leadership was among the nine people on board. Denys Monastyrskyi, the Interior minister, who has been in the position since July 2021, died in the crash.

Children are among those killed or injured

Search and rescue efforts in Brovary were finished at 3:45 pm local time. 14 people were killed, one of whom was a kid from the kindergarten where the helicopter crashed. There were 25 people injured, including 11 children.

Yevhen Yenin, the first deputy of the Interior minister, also died. He was once Deputy Prosecutor General and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Since 2021, Mr. Yenin has served as Denys Monastyrskyi’s deputy. State secretary Yuriy Lubkovych also died in the crash.

The tragedy’s reasons are yet unknown. The Ukrainian Security Service is conducting an investigation.

Helicopter crash circumstances

According to Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat, the crashed helicopter belonged to the State Emergency Service. According to preliminary information, the aircraft crashed into a kindergarten before flying into a high-rise building and exploding, Channel 24 reports.

The helicopter carried three service members and six members of the Interior Ministry’s task force, including minister Denys Monastyrsky. According to the President’s Office, Denys Monastyrskyi and the leadership of the Interior Ministry were on a work trip to one of the hotspots near the frontlines of the war against Russian invaders.

Three versions of the catastrophe viewed

The Security Service opened an investigation into the incident. The inquiry is looking into three versions:

• violation of flight rules;
• helicopter malfunction;
• deliberate actions to damage the helicopter.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin is personally in charge of the inquiry. The government has also formed a special commission to investigate the circumstances behind the tragedy.

Ukraine’s and the world’s reactions

Ukrainians were shocked by the catastrophe in Brovary, and everyone online expressed condolences to the victims’ families. Officials of various ranks have expressed their condolences.

Polish President Andrzej Duda reacted to the tragedy, noting that his sympathies are with the relatives of the victims of the incident and the Ministry of Internal Affairs leadership.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, also reacted to the tragedy. He stressed that the deceased Denis Monastyrsky was an EU friend. Michel offered his condolences to the victims’ families and the people of Ukraine.