January 19, 2023, Kyiv: On Wednesday, 18 people including Ukraine’s Interior Minister died in a helicopter crash in the town of Brovary near Kyiv. The helicopter fell near a kindergarten and a residential building in the town. Another official said that 18 people are now known to have died, including three children, and nine of the fatalities were on board the helicopter.
‘This morning, on January 18, a helicopter of the State Emergency Service crashed in Brovary. As a result, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs died: the minister, the first deputy minister, and the state secretary,’ the head of the National Police of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko said.
Tributes to the victims of a helicopter crash near Kyiv that killed Ukraine’s interior minister and 17 other people including 3 kids.
Officials expressed their shock at the incident. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink tweeted on Wednesday that she was shocked and saddened by the terrible news from Brovary, where the crash happened this morning. In other news, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin could be ready to declare another mobilization round as Russia looks to beef up its armed forces in Ukraine.
It is not yet clear what caused the helicopter to crash in the town of Brovary, a commuter town that was the location of intense fighting early in Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The regional governor said that 29 people including 15 children were also hurt due to the crash. Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on Telegram that children and staff were in the nursery at the time of this tragedy.
Several dead bodies draped in foil shrouds lay in a courtyard near the harmed nursery. Emergency workers were available at the scene. Klymenko from Ukraine’s police service said earlier that 9 of those killed were on board the helicopter when it crashed.
