18 persons including Denys Monastyrskyi, Ukraine’s Interior Minister, other senior ministry officials and three children were killed on Wednesday morning when a helicopter crashed in Brovary near a nursery school outside Kyiv, the country’s capital.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the head of national police, Igor Klymenko, confirmed the incident this morning (Wednesday).
After the crash, a fire broke out close to the school, hence pupils and staff were moved from the building.
Wreckage from the helicopter was visible outside a burning building.
The 42-year-old minister was a prominent member of President Volodymy Zelensky’s cabinet and played a key role in updating the public on casualties caused by Russian missile strikes since Ukraine was invaded in February 2022.
The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said the minister had been en route to a war “hot spot” when his helicopter went down.
The head of Kyiv’s regional military administration, Oleksiy Kuleba, said apart from the 18 fatalities, the tragedy also left 29 injured.
God rest their souls. Their deaths will not be in vain.