Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky and his first deputy killed in chopper crash

Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denis Monastyrski and his deputy Yevgeny Enin were on board the helicopter that crashed in Brovary (Kyiv region). They were killed, the national police of Ukraine reports.

16 people died in the helicopter crash, including two children, the police says:

“This morning, January 18, a helicopter of the State Civil Defense Service crashed in Borvary. As a result of the crash, several top officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were killed: the minister, the first deputy minister and the state secretary. A total of 16 people are known to have been killed, including two children. Nine of them were on board the helicopter. 22 victims are in hospital, of whom 10 are children. All the relevant and specialized services are working at the crash site. The investigation is ongoing.”

Three main versions of what caused the crash are being considered: sabotage, equipment malfunction, and violation of safety rules, says Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the Interior Ministry of Ukraine.