Authorities in Ukraine were looking into the circumstances surrounding a helicopter crash on Thursday that claimed the lives of the interior minister and 13 other people.
The NATO chief had just announced at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos that allies would be supplying the war-torn nation with “heavier armaments” when the crash outside of Kyiv happened on Wednesday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine claimed that the disaster was a result of the war even though his country did not specifically blame Russia for the chopper crash.
“In a war, there are no accidents. These are all wartime outcomes “Zelensky spoke in English while participating in Davos via video link.
Additionally, he reiterated the need for contemporary, Western-designed heavy tanks, which analysts believe are essential for breaking through strong defense positions in eastern Ukraine.
Zelensky made a “demand for speed” in a barely covert allusion to Germany, whose Chancellor Olaf Scholz is debating whether to approve the transfer of its highly rated Leopard tanks.
Zelensky addressed attendees at Davos, “The terrorist state uses the time the Free World uses to think to kill.”
Following Jens Stoltenberg’s declaration that the alliance would offer “more advanced support, heavier weaponry, and more contemporary weapons, because this is a struggle for our ideals,” the statement was made.
However, he did not completely rule out a change in the future. In Washington, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl stated that the United States was not “there yet” when it came to providing advanced Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
In Brovary, a commuter town for the Ukrainian capital Kyiv that saw severe fighting with Russian forces last year, the chopper carrying Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky came down adjacent to a daycare and a residence.
Zelensky stated in his evening speech to the country that fourteen individuals were killed, including Monastyrsky, several ministry officials, and a child. Eleven children were among the additional 25 casualties.
He further stated that a probe had been launched “to shed light on all the disaster’s circumstances.”
Zelensky stated that the victims of the incident, including Minister Denys Monastyrsky, [his deputy] Yevhen Yenin, and their coworkers, “are not people who can be simply replaced.” “For the state, it is a colossal loss. I send the families my sympathy.”
When he observed flames rising over the kindergarten, Dmytro Serbyn, who was in his apartment when the chopper crashed, hurried to assist the kids.
Children were crying and searching for their parents, Serbyn told AFP. “Their faces were cut and covered in blood.”
“One girl was removed by us. Her face was hurt, so I wrapped her with a jacket. She showed no trembling or crying.”
Polina’s injuries were so severe that her father did not recognize her right away, according to Serbyn, who spoke to AFP.
In the immediate aftermath, social media users posted amateur video that showed cries and a big fire.
It was unclear where the helicopter was going at first.
The president claimed that it was heading to frontline areas, but Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, claimed that it was flying to a missile strike target in Dnipro.
Zelensky promised to release details about the crash’s causes “as soon as concrete facts are determined.”
In a statement, Vice President Joe Biden of the United States called Monastyrsky a “reformer and patriot,” calling the incident a “heartbreaking tragedy.”
According to John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, “we have no idea at this time what caused that disaster.”
As long as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin pursues his unnecessary conflict, Ukrainians will continue to be collateral [victims].”
While this was going on, Berlin “offered Germany’s support in identifying the causes of the helicopter crash.”
The mayor of Kiev, Klitschko, praised Monastyrsky as a “young, extremely creative, excellent person. Always proactive in helping and preserving the life of our inhabitants.”
The qualified lawyer, 42, assumed the position of interior minister of Ukraine in July 2021.
He was a significant contributor to Zelensky’s party and married with two kids.
In Ukraine, aviation mishaps are fairly frequent.
In one of the bloodiest recent cases, a jet carrying 26 passengers crashed near the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in September 2020, killing the majority of them air cadets.
Approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Kyiv, the town of Brovary was one of the metropolitan centers that Russian forces attempted to occupy after invading Ukraine last year.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, compared Western policy toward his country to Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution,” which called for the extermination of the Jewish people.
“The “Russian question’s” ultimate resolution is the same work. Hitler wished to resolve the Jewish question once and for all “Lavrov declared.
The Russian ambassador was summoned by Canada’s foreign ministry in protest of what it called Lavrov’s “anti-Semitic sentiments” and to denounce a recent Russian airstrike on a residence in Dnipro, Ukraine, which resulted in the deaths of at least 45 people.
