BROVARY: Eighteen people including Ukraine's interior minister, other senior ministry officials and three children were killed yesterday morning when helicopter crashed near nursery outside Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said. Regional governor said 29 people were also hurt, including 15 children, when helicopter came down in residential area in Brovary, on capital's northeastern outskirts. Several bodies draped in foil blankets lay in courtyard near damaged nursery.

Emergency workers were at scene. Debris was scattered over playground. National police chief Ihor Klymenko said Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi had been killed alongside his first deputy, Yevheniy Yenin, and other officials in helicopter belonging to state emergency service.

"There were children and staff in nursery at time of this tragedy," Kyiv region governor Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on Telegram. Officials did not give an immediate explanation of cause of helicopter crash. There was no immediate comment from Russia, whose troops invaded Ukraine last February and Ukrainian officials made no reference to any Russian attack in area at time. Monastyrskyi, responsible for police and security inside Ukraine, would be most senior Ukrainian official to die since war began. Separately, Ukraine reported intense fighting overnight in east of country, where both sides have taken huge losses for little gain in intense trench warfare over last two months.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 19 2023

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