Ukraine Interior Minister, 3 Children Among 18 Killed in Kyiv Helicopter Crash

The chopper slammed down near a kindergarten and a residential building in Brovary.

(Photo: Twitter/ AndriyYermak)

Eighteen people, including the Ukrainian interior affairs minister, were killed after a helicopter crashed near a nursery in an eastern suburb of Kyiv on Wednesday, 18 January.

What happened?: The chopper slammed down near a kindergarten and a residential building in Brovary, a town that saw fierce battles in February, during the early stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Footage circulated on Twitter purportedly showed the charred remains of the helicopter in the midst of debris from a nearby building and a car, crushed by large shards of metal.

The casualties: The Kyiv region governor Oleksiy Kuleba clocked the latest death toll at 18 people, including three children.

"There is information about 29 wounded, including 15 children. All necessary assistance is provided to them," he added.

Ukraine National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko said that nine of those killed were on board the helicopter when it crashed.

Ukrainian Leadership Killed: Denys Monastryskyi, the interior minister of Ukraine, his deputy Yevhen Yenin and State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were among those who lost their life on Wednesday,  Klymenko said. 

What has Kyiv said?: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the crash as “a terrible tragedy” on a “black morning.”

In a message on Telegram, Zelenskyy says, “Today, a terrible tragedy occurred in Brovary, Kyiv region. A state emergency services helicopter crashed, and a fire broke out at the crash site.”

“The exact number of victims of the tragedy is currently being established. Among them are minister of internal affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrskyi, his first deputy Yevhen Yenin, state secretary of the ministry of internal affairs Yuri Lubkovych, their assistants and the helicopter crew."

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy

The latest: According to AFP journalists, emergency workers and firefighters were conducting rescue operations in Brovary. They also said that the rotary volumes of the helicopter, which cut into a nearby building, could also be seen. 

BBC reported that while there was no immediate comment around the cause of the crash, aviation accidents are rather common in Ukraine, mostly owed to Kyiv’s continued operation of outdated infrastructure.