Fourteen people died, including the Minister of Internal Affairs

A helicopter crash near a school in Kyiv region in the early hours of January 18, killing 14 people, including the interior minister and a child, is the latest tragedy in Ukraine, just days after Russia’s deadly strike on the Dnieper.

According to the latest SES (State Emergency Service) report, revised downwards in the afternoon, 14 people died, including 1 child, and 25 were injured in hospital. The debris was still being cleared. An earlier report said 18 people, including three children, had died this morning.

In the images spread on social networks, we could see the remains of the helicopter mixed with the debris near the car, which was destroyed under the weight of the metal. According to the AFP team, firefighters and police were at the scene.

Death of the Minister of the Interior

Among those killed are the Minister of Internal Affairs, 42-year-old Denis Monastyrsky, his first deputy Yevgeny Yenine and the state secretary of the ministry, Yuriy Lubkovich, who were on the plane with 6 other people. The head of the Ukrainian National Police said in a press release.

This former lawyer by profession has been in office since July 2021. In 2019, he was a member of the Rada of the Ukrainian Parliament with the label “”.servant of the people“, the presidential party.

The helicopter carrying the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine was heading to the front, the Ukrainian presidency said. “The purpose of this flight (was to go) to one of the hot spots of our country where the battles are going on. The Minister of Internal Affairs was going thereDeputy head of the presidential cabinet Kyrylo Tymoshenko told Ukrainian television about this.

“Great Loss”

The death of the Minister of Internal Affairs,a great loss“, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Chmygal regretted. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “regrets”terrible tragedy“.

“Tragedy in Brovari. (…) A great loss for the government and the whole stateUkrainian, he said on Telegram.immediate creation of a special group for a detailed investigation of the circumstances of the tragedy“. “My colleagues, my friends. What a tragic loss. Deepest condolences to their families“, Denis Monastyrsky’s advisor Anton Gerachtchenko reacted on Twitter.

Brovary, lock of the capital

The accident happened in the city of Brovary, which has a population of 100,000, near the eastern suburbs of Kyiv. In the first weeks of the occupation, when the troops from Moscow tried to forcefully close the lock of the capital, there were serious battles against Ukrainians and Russians.

Read alsoWar in Ukraine: Bucha, the land that overthrew the Kremlin, the story of our special correspondent in Kyiv

When tragedy strikeschildren and workersOleksii Kouleba said that the kindergarten that came to the scene was at the scene. According to images spread on social networks, a large fire broke out after the helicopter fell, and a residential building was also nearby.

Current research

There was no immediate information on the cause of the tragedy. Earlier, Oleksii Kouleba stated that “casesit was an accidentin development“.

The spokesman of the Air Force of Ukraine said that the crashed plane belonged to the State Emergency Service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. One of the last major accidents of this type in Ukraine in recent years occurred in September 2020, when an Antonov-26 plane crashed near Kharkiv (north-east), killing 26 people.

A new tragedy

The latest tragedy comes four days after a deadly strike on the Dnieper in eastern Ukraine, at the height of the war with Russia.

On Saturday, January 14, a Russian missile did indeed destroy an apartment building, killing at least 45 people, including six children, in one of the deadliest explosions since the Russian occupation began in February 2022. The youngest victim “He was 11 months old“, the deputy head of the cabinet of the Ukrainian presidency Kyrylo Tymoshenko lamented this Tuesday evening after more than three days of investigation. The emergency service pulled out the injured and lifeless bodies from the rubble.

Klara Marchaud, regular correspondent in Ukraine Le Figaro.

Kyiv accuses, Moscow denies

This new attack on a civilian target has caused great emotion among the Ukrainian population, as the country has been fighting against the Russian occupation for almost 11 months, often under very difficult conditions.

Deposed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to be brought to justice”anyone guilty of this war crime“, showed that the Russian army was directly responsible for this massacre. Moscow, for its part, as in previous episodes, categorically denied any involvement in this bloody strike.

Read alsoWar in Ukraine: Bucha, the land that overthrew the Kremlin, the story of our special correspondent in Kyiv

International reactions

The President of the Council of Europe, Charles Michel, expressed his regret over the death of the Ukrainian Interior Minister in a helicopter crash on Wednesday.He is a great friend of the EU” and expressed “deepest condolencesto the people of Ukraine. “We join the pain of UkraineCharles Michel, representing the 27 member states of the EU, wrote on Twitter.

German Interior Minister Nancy Pfizer announced her offer to Kiev.supportfrom Germany in the survey. accident”terrible news“, he said to himself in the press release.he was sadwith the death of his colleague and co-workers and the loss of children as well.

It shows “Ukraine paid a huge price in this war once again“Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this on his Twitter account.”On this sad day, our thoughts are with the loved ones of the dead and the injured.“As well as to the head of state Vladimir Zelensky”lost the interior minister today“, he added.

“Thoughts to all the victims, children and families of this horrific incident near a kindergarten“The French president wrote on Twitter.”France offers its condolences to its Ukrainian friends“.

“Just as Napoleon mobilized almost all of Europe (…), the United States formed a coalition”

Vladimir Putin thereby assured on Wednesday that he “Undoubtedly“About the victory of Russia”guaranteeAlmost a year after the start of the Russian operation on the territory of Ukraine. He noted that Russia is facing a problem.neo-Nazi regimeHe said he was in Ukraine and would continuehelp» Residents of the separatist East of Ukraine during a visit to the arms factory in St. Petersburg.

His Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, went further and criticized the actions of Western countries against his country.final solutionthe Nazi regime to exterminate the Jews. “Just as Napoleon mobilized almost all of Europe against the Russian Empire, and Hitler mobilized and conquered most of the European countries against the Soviet Union, today the United States has assembled a coalition.Against Moscow, Lavrov said at a press conference.

Comparison with “Final Solution”.

Their dutysame: the “final solution” of the Russian question. Just as Hitler wanted to solve the Jewish problem, now Western leaders… say unequivocally that Russia must suffer a strategic defeat.“, he added.

The announcements come nearly 11 months after the start of the offensive against Ukraine, where Russian forces have suffered several major setbacks in recent months. Faced with these challenges on the ground, Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reservists and a bombing campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

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