A helicopter crashed near a school in Kyiv region on the morning of Wednesday, January 18, killing 14 people, including the interior minister and a child, the latest tragedy in Ukraine just days after a deadly Russian strike in the Dnieper.
- Follow information about the Ukrainian war with the Figaro app
According to the latest SES (State Emergency Service) report reviewed earlier this afternoon, there are 14 dead, including a child, and 25 injured in hospital, including 11 children. The work of clearing the rubble was still in progress. A previous report put the death toll at 18, including three children, this morning.
In the images circulating on social networks, we could see the remains of the helicopter mixed with debris next to the car, which was destroyed under the weight of the metal. According to AFP, firefighters and police are on the scene.
Death of the Minister of the Interior
Among the victims are 42-year-old Minister of Internal Affairs Denis Monastirsky, his first deputy Yevgeny Yenine and Secretary of State of the Ministry Yuriy Lubkovich, who were on the plane with six other people.
This former lawyer by profession was in office from July 2021. In 2019, he became a member of the Parliament of Ukraine, the Rada, with the label “.servant of the people“The presidential party.
The helicopter carrying the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine was moving to the front, the Presidency of Ukraine informed. “The purpose of this flight was to go to one of the hot spots of our country where battles are taking place. The Home Secretary went thereThe deputy head of the presidential cabinet Kyrylo Tymoshenko informed about it to the Ukrainian television.
“Big Loss”
The death of the Minister of Internal Affairs.great loss– Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Chmygal said with regret. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is sorry.a terrible tragedy“.
“Tragedy in Brovary. (…) A great loss for the government and the entire stateUkrainian, he said on Telegram, urging “immediate creation of a special group for a detailed investigation of the circumstances of the tragedy“. “My colleagues, my friends. What a tragic loss! Sincere condolences to their familiesDenis Monastirsky’s advisor Anton Gerachchenko responded on Twitter.
Brovary, capital lock
The accident took place in the city of Brovary with about 100 thousand inhabitants, which touches the eastern suburbs of Kyiv. There had been significant fighting between Ukrainians and Russians when troops from Moscow tried to forcefully seize the capital’s lock-up in the first weeks of the invasion.
At the time of tragedy.children and workersOleksi Kuleba said they were there from the kindergarten near the accident site. According to the footage published on social networks, a huge fire broke out after the helicopter fell, and there was also a residential building nearby.
Current research
Information about the causes of the tragedy was not immediately reported. Earlier Oleksy Kuleba announced that “circumstanceswere from this accidentin development“.
The crashed plane belonged to the State Emergency Service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the representative of the Air Force of Ukraine said. One of the last major accidents of this type in Ukraine in recent years dates back to September 2020, when Antonov-26 crashed near Kharkiv (north-east), killing 26 people.
A new tragedy
This new tragedy comes at the height of the war with Russia, four days after a deadly strike in the Dnieper in eastern Ukraine.
A Russian missile did destroy a residential building on Saturday, January 14, killing at least 45 people, including six children, in one of the deadliest bombings since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. The smallest victim.”He was 11 months old“This Tuesday evening, the Deputy Head of the Cabinet of the Presidency of Ukraine, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, expressed regret after more than three days of research. From under the rubble, the ambulance pulled out injured but also lifeless bodies, blocked under huge sections of concrete.
Clara Marchon, a correspondent in Ukraine who regularly works with Le Figaro.
Kiev accuses, Moscow denies
This new attack on a civilian target has caused great emotions among the Ukrainian population, as the country has been fighting the Russian invasion for almost 11 months, often under very difficult conditions.
The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, excited, swore to bring responsibility.”every person is guilty of this war crime“, directly pointing to the Russian army as responsible for this massacre. Moscow, for its part, categorically denied its participation in this bloody strike, as in previous episodes.
International responses
European Council President Charles Michel expressed regret on Wednesday over the death of Ukraine’s interior minister in a helicopter crash.A great friend of the EU“, and expressed his “deepest condolencesto the Ukrainian people. “We join Ukraine’s painCharles Michel, who represents the 27 member states of the EU, wrote on Twitter.
German Interior Minister Nancy Feiser announced that she offered Kiev “supportIn a survey from Germany. The accident is “terrible news“, he also noted in the press release, saying a lot to himself.sadwith the death of his partner and his accomplices and the fact that children were also killed.
It shows”once again the huge price Ukraine is paying in this warChancellor Olaf Scholz said in his Twitter microblog. “On this sad day, our thoughts are with the loved ones of the dead and injured.“as well as to the head of state Vladimir Zelensky”.who lost his home minister today“, he added.
“Thoughts for all the victims, children and families of this terrible incident near the kindergarten.“The President of France wrote on Twitter. “France offers its condolences to its Ukrainian friends“.
“As Napoleon mobilized almost all of Europe (…), the United States formed a coalition”
Thus, Vladimir Putin assured on Wednesday that he “no doubt“on the Russian victory, which “guarantee“, almost a year after the start of the Russian operation on the territory of Ukraine. He claimed that Russia stands “neo-Nazi regimein Ukraine and said he would continueHelp:» the population of the Ukrainian separatist East during a visit to the arms factory in St. Petersburg.
His foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, went even further, comparing the actions of Western countries against his country.final solutionfor the extermination of the Jews by the Nazi regime. “Just as Napoleon mobilized almost all of Europe against the Russian Empire, just as Hitler mobilized and conquered most European countries to fight against the Soviet Union, today the United States has formed a coalition.Against Moscow, Lavrov said at the press conference.
Comparison with The Final Solution
It’s their problemthe same, the “final solution” of the Russian question. Just as Hitler wanted to solve the Jewish question, now the Western leaders… unequivocally say that Russia must suffer a strategic defeat.“, he added.
The announcements come nearly 11 months after the offensive began in Ukraine, where Russian forces have suffered several major setbacks in recent months. Faced with these difficulties on the ground, Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reservists and the bombing of Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.