A military helicopter is said to have crashed, and at least 15 people were killed according to the central authorities, including three children. Meanwhile, the mayor of the Kyiv region told AFP that the death toll had reached 18.
Among those killed were Ukraine’s Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky, Deputy Interior Minister Yevnezh Genin, and State Minister Yury Lobkovich in the Interior Ministry.
The helicopter was on its way to the war front, according to the president’s office.
Among the dead was Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky.
Photo: Zhenya Savelov / AFP
Among other things, Monastyrsky was in charge of the police and security authorities in Ukraine.
– It’s a big loss for the country, says Prime Minister Denis Gemihal.
The helicopter crash occurred in the Brovary district, on the outskirts of Kyiv, and led to a violent fire in nearby buildings. In addition, 29 people were injured, according to the city’s mayor.
Everyone in the helicopter was killed
There were nine people on board the helicopter. They are all dead. The rest of the dead were children and adults who were in kindergarten. This is what the representative of the President’s Office says.
A helicopter crashed near a kindergarten in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Emergency services are located in the Brovary district on the outskirts of Kyiv. Videos on social media show, among other things, that the building is on fire.
There must have been children and nursery staff when the helicopter crashed.
Emergency services acted shortly after a helicopter crashed in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Photo: Valentin Ogirienko/Reuters
It was somewhat unclear where the helicopter crashed, but photos from the area now show it crashed into a building. The building has been severely damaged and the helicopter’s large rotor is lying on the ground.
Violent attacks against Kyiv
It is not yet known what caused the helicopter crash. Russia has not commented on the incident, and the Ukrainian authorities have not said anything about the Russian attacks in the area when the helicopter crashed.
For a long time, Russian offensive forces in Ukraine have been bombing critical infrastructure and many people have been deprived of electricity and water in parts of Ukraine.
The helicopter crashed into a building near a kindergarten.
Photo: Valentin Ogirienko/Reuters
Kyiv, long quiet after the Russians’ failed campaign against the city, has become the scene of a series of bomb attacks, and the air traffic alert is constantly going off.
The historic city of Brovary lies east of Kyiv city center with a population of about 110,000 residents there.
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