Georgian President, Parliament Speaker send condolences following deadly helicopter crash near Kyiv
The remains of the helicopter outside a residential building in Brovary, near Kyiv, following the crash. Photo: Reuters
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Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday sent their condolences following the crash of a helicopter in Brovary, an eastern suburb of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, that killed 18 including the country’s Interior Minister and senior law enforcement officials.
Expressing her condolences to the families of the victims - including three children - as well as the Ukrainian people and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zourabichvili said “Georgia grieves with you” in her social media post, while the Parliament Speaker called the incident a “heartbreaking tragedy”.
Deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter accident in #Brovary
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) January 18, 2023
I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims, the people of #Ukraine, and President @ZelenskyyUa
Georgia grieves with you
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, 42, his First Deputy Yevhen Yenin, and Yurii Lubkovich, the State Secretary tasked with organising the work of the Ministry, died aboard the helicopter in the crash earlier on Wednesday.
The impact of the aircraft - which was reportedly carrying six ministry officials and three crew - also claimed the lives of nine others, including the children, after it hit the ground next to a nursery. Reports also said about 30 had been injured in the incident.
My deepest condolences to the families & friends of the victims of a tragic helicopter crash near a kindergarten in #Brovary. A heartbreaking tragedy for Ukraine. Special prayers for kids and all injured. I wish them a speedy recovery. @r_stefanchuk
— Shalva Papuashvili ???????? (@shpapuashvili) January 18, 2023
Ukrainian services have launched an investigation into the causes for the crash, with BBC citing a local resident as saying foggy conditions could have caused the tragedy. The Deputy Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said the officials had been en route to a war "hot spot" before the incident brought their helicopter down.
Monastyrsky is the highest-profile Ukrainian casualty since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on February 24 of last year.