On the morning of January 18, 2023, a helicopter crashed in Brovary, Kyiv region. The leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was on board, among the dead were Minister Denis Monastyrsky and his first deputy Yevgeny Yenin.
The helicopter crashed near the kindergarten on Petlyura Street at about 08:20. As a result of a powerful explosion, a fire broke out, damaging the kindergarten building and one of the nearby apartment buildings. All emergency services immediately arrived at the scene: rescuers, doctors, military and police.
At 09:06, the fire in the building was contained on an area of 500 square meters, and at 09:28 it was eliminated.
As of 09:16, children, kindergarten workers and residents of nearby houses were promptly evacuated. Judging by the wreckage, the helicopter of the air ambulance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine crashed. According to the speaker of the Air Force Yuri Ignat, we are talking about the Super Puma helicopter, which was once supplied by French partners.
Now work is underway to remove the rubble. The ceiling fell in one of the sections of the kindergarten.
According to the head of the Kyiv regional military administration Oleksiy Kuleba, the children were evacuated to another kindergarten, the relevant services are working with them, lists are being compiled. There is no information about missing persons.
As of 10:30 am, 18 dead are known, including 3 children. Another 29 people were injured, including 15 children. All necessary assistance is provided to the victims.
According to the press secretary of the National Police Maryana Reva, there were nine people on board the helicopter. They all died. All other victims are children and adults who were on the territory of the kindergarten.
As specified in the State Emergency Service, there were 6 people on board the operational group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, including the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as 3 crew members.
As a result of the crash, the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior was killed. In particular:
Denis Monastyrsky – Minister
Yevgeny Enin – First Deputy Minister
Yuri Lubkovich – State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
According to the Deputy Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was sent to one of the hot spots. More details will be provided later.
The National Police emphasize that it is too early to talk about preliminary reasons before the conclusion of the investigators. Adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko believes that it will soon become known whether it was a sabotage, a malfunction of equipment or a violation of flight safety rules.
Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Andrei Kostin said that all possible versions are being considered.
“Now investigators and experts are working at the scene of the tragedy. Urgent investigations are underway. We are currently considering all possible versions of the helicopter accident. The pre-trial investigation was entrusted to the SBU investigators,” he noted.
Andrey Nebitov, the chief of police in the Kyiv region, also notes that it is too early to draw conclusions now. A criminal case has been opened, on which investigators from the SBU, the police and the State Bureau of Investigation will work. Witnesses of the crash are asked to contact law enforcement officers.
He also did not confirm the rumors that the helicopter caught fire while still in the air.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal ordered the creation of a special group to investigate all the circumstances of the helicopter crash in Brovary.
“As a result of the helicopter crash, at least 18 people died. Among them are the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denis Monastyrsky, his deputy Yevgeny Enin, State Secretary of the Ministry Yuriy Lubkovich. A big loss for the government team and the entire state,” he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has already reacted to the accident in Brovary. He instructed the SBU, in cooperation with the National Police and other authorized bodies, to find out all the circumstances of the incident.
“My condolences to all the families and friends of the victims! Denis, Evgeny, Yuriy, the team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs… true patriots of Ukraine. Bright memory! Blessed memory to all whose lives were claimed by this black morning, ”he wrote.
The SBU announced that it had started production due to a helicopter crash in Brovary. Currently, three versions of the tragedy are being considered: violation of flight rules, technical malfunction of the helicopter, deliberate actions to destroy the vehicle.
In addition, the National Police clarified that as a result of the plane crash in Brovary, 16 victims are definitely known, including three children. There are 25 people in hospitals, of which 10 are children.
The head of the police of the Kharkiv region, Volodymyr Timoshko, said that today he was supposed to meet a group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs headed by Monastyrsky.
“Today I had to meet, I had to shake hands, I had to … see not only leaders, no, but friends whom I respected, whom I expected. I talked yesterday, today, with everyone who was on board, talked and left to meet, ”Tymoshko wrote on social networks.
There were 9 people on board the helicopter that crashed in Brovary. Among them, 6 are a group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and 3 are members of the crew of the State Emergency Service. According to the press service of the Ministry of the Interior, while on duty in aperished in the accident:
- Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denis Monastyrsky,
- First Deputy Interior Minister Yevgeny Enin,
- State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yury Lubkovich,
- Deputy Head of the Patronage Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Tatyana Shutyak,
- Head of the Department of Protection of the Department of Internal Security of the NPU Police Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Pavlushko,
- Nikolai Anatsky, Leading Inspector of the Communications Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,
- aircraft commander – instructor of the special-purpose aviation squadron on helicopters Alexander Vasilenko,
- pilot of a special-purpose aviation squadron on helicopters Konstantin Kovalenko,
on-board mechanic of a special-purpose aviation squadron on a helicopter, - Ensign of the Civil Protection Service Ivan Kasyanov.
As of 15:00, it is known that the bodies of 14 dead, including one child, were found at the crash site of the helicopter in Brovary.
According to rescuers, as a result of the crash, 25 people were injured (of which 11 were children), who were hospitalized in hospitals (the information is being specified). Search work continues.
