Ukraine’s interior minister among 18 killed as helicopter crashes near Kyiv

The emergency services helicopter came down in Bovary, an eastern suburb of the Ukrainian capital, killing nine of the people on board, said Ihor Klymenko, chief of Ukraine’s National Police.

Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy Yevhen Yenin and State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yurii Lubkovych were among the dead, according to Mr Klymenko.

Mr Monastyrsky is the most senior Ukrainian official to have died since the start of the nation’s war with Russia almost 11 months ago.

Kyiv Regional Governor Oleksii Kuleba said three children were also killed in Wednesday morning’s crash, while a total of 29 people including 15 children were injured.

Earlier, officials and media reports said the helicopter crashed near a nursery school.

Initial reports said 16 people had lost their lives in the crash, but the death toll had risen to 18 by around 9.10am GMT.

There was no immediate word on whether the crash was an accident or a result of the war with Russia. No fighting has been reported recently in the Kyiv area.

“For now, we are considering all possible versions of the helicopter crash accident,” Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Andriy Kostin, said on social media platform Telegram.

An investigation is being carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine, he said.

Photos taken at the scene on Wednesday morning showed emergency workers standing by the mangled wreckage of the helicopter, which appeared to have collided with a building and crushed at least one car.

Video footage captured in the immediate aftermath of the disaster appeared to show a significant area of building and land ablaze.

Images later showed a number of nearby buildings damaged, with broken glass and other debris scattered widely, including across a brightly painted children’s play area.

Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska was seen daubing teary eyes and pinching her nose in emotion minutes before attending a World Economic Forum session in Davos, Switzerland, after news of the tragedy broke.

“Another very sad day today – new losses,” she said.

Forum President Borge Brende requested 15 seconds of silence after opening the session to honour the Ukrainian officials killed in the crash.

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman paid tribute to her Ukrainian counterpart Mr Monastyrsky on Twitter, where she said Ukraine had lost a “leading light” in its resistance against Vladimir Putin.

“This is truly heart-breaking. Interior Minister, Denys Monastyrsky was a leading light in supporting the Ukrainian people during Putin’s illegal invasion and when we spoke in October I was struck by his determination, optimism and patriotism,” she wrote.

“My thoughts go out to all those who have died in this horrible tragedy and their families. The UK will always stand with our Ukrainian friends.”

Britain’s ambassador to Ukraine Dame Melinda Simmons tweeted: “Shocked at the tragic death of leadership of @MVS_UA as well as civilians, following a helicoper crash in Brovary.

“I knew well both Minister Monastyrsky & his First Deputy Yenin. My sincere condolences to their families and our Ukrainian government partners over this loss.”

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly described Mr Monastyrsky as “a true friend of the UK”, adding: “We are ready to support Ukraine in whatever way we can.”

The crash came just four days after a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in southeastern Ukraine killed 45 civilians, including six children – marking the deadliest attack on civilians since the spring.

“Haven’t had time to recover from one tragedy, there is already another one,” said the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko.

More follows.