- Ukrainian interior minister Denys Monastyrskyy is among the 18 victims of a helicopter crash near a nursery outside the capital, Kyiv.
- At least three children and two top officials – Monastyrskyy’s deputy Yevhen Yenin and state secretary Yurii Lubkovich – were among those who died in the disaster.
- Emergency services are working to rescue children and employees after the crash near Brovary.
- Meanwhile, Ukraine is a step closer to winning approval for German-made modern battle tanks and has secured pledges for more Patriot defence missiles.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to speak to the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday via video link.
Who was Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi?
Eighteen people, including Ukraine’s interior minister and other senior ministry officials, were killed when a helicopter crashed near a nursery outside Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.
Here’s everything you need to know about the interior minister:
- Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi was appointed under Zelenskyy in 2021 and was a prominent figure in Zelenskyy’s cabinet.
- Monastyrsky, responsible for the police and security inside Ukraine, would be the most senior Ukrainian official to die since the war began.
- A helicopter carrying the interior minister passed through the town of Brovary when it crashed near a residential building.
- Monastyrskyi’s first minister, Yevheniy Yenin, was also killed during the fatal crash
Source: Aljazeera