Ukraine minister among 14 killed in helicopter crash

Ukraine’s interior minister and 13 others were killed in a helicopter crash near a kindergarten outside Kyiv yesterday, in a blow to the war-battered nation’s government.

There was no immediate claim from Kyiv that Russian forces were involved in the tragedy, and authorities launched an investigation while crews were still working near the charred remains of the aircraft.

Officials initially said that 18 people died but have revised the toll down to 14 — including Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, other ministry officials and a child — as search operations ended.

The helicopter carrying Monastyrsky slammed down next to a kindergarten and a residential building in Brovary, a commuter town for the capital Kyiv that was the scene of fierce fighting with Russian forces last year.

Twenty five people were wounded, emergency services said in their last update.

Amateur footage circulating on social media in the immediate aftermath captured cries and a large blaze.

“Today, a terrible tragedy occurred in Brovary, Kyiv region,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media. “The pain is unspeakable.”

The town of Brovary is located some 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Kyiv and was among urban hubs around the capital that Russian troops had tried to capture after invading Ukraine last year.

It was not immediately clear where the helicopter was going.

The presidency said it was headed to frontline regions, while Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said it was flying to a missile strike site in Dnipro.

The circumstances of the tragedy will be clarified in the next few days, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko told AFP.

Monastyrsky, 42, a trained lawyer, had served as Ukraine’s interior minister from July 2021.

He was a key member of Zelensky’s party and was married with two children.

EU chief Charles Michel expressed dismay and offered condolences.

Aviation accidents are fairly common in Ukraine, where the use of ageing and sometimes Soviet-era infrastructure is still common.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday said he had “no doubt” Moscow would emerge victorious in Ukraine, despite military setbacks in the nearly year-long offensive.