Eighteen people, including Ukraine’s Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, died in a helicopter crash in the town of Brovary near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, authorities said.
(Bloomberg) — Eighteen people, including Ukraine’s Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, died in a helicopter crash in the town of Brovary near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, authorities said.
The emergency services helicopter went down near a kindergarten and a multistory apartment building. The fatalities included three children, and 29 other people were injured.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow has not seen any “serious” proposals from the West to end the war in Ukraine. Russia isn’t willing to negotiate with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, he said at his annual press conference.
Ukraine can now rely on three Patriot batteries that will significantly bolster air-defense, but the country is weighing steps to reinforce it further, Zelenskiy said. He praised Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for pledging to provide Ukraine with another Patriot system, which can shoot down missiles.
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Key Developments
- Ukrainian Interior Minister Killed in Helicopter Crash Near Kyiv
- Ukraine Seeks to Add Steel to Grain Export Deal, Minister Says
- War in Ukraine Strains Ties Between Putin and His Old Serb Ally
- Enterprising Russians Plug Consumer Gaps Caused by Sanctions
- Wagner Founder Is Putin’s Model Entrepreneur: Leonid Bershidsky
On the Ground
Russian troops are focusing their main efforts on the assault toward the eastern city of Bakhmut, while also conducting unsuccessful offensive operations on the Avdiyivka axis, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook. Ukrainian forces repelled attacks near nine settlements in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and shot down a Russian Su-25 jet near Soledar, according to the General Staff’s statement. The Nikopol district in the central Dnipropetrovsk region was shelled again overnight, local authorities said on Telegram.
(All times CET)
Zelenskiy Hails Helicopter Crash Officials as Patriots (12:30 p.m.)
The officials who died in the helicopter crash were true patriots, Zelenskiy said on Telegram. Ukraine’s Security Service started an investigation, with possible causes including a flight rules violation, a technical malfunction and intentional actions to damage the aircraft.
NATO’s top military official, Adm. Rob Bauer, told a meeting of alliance chiefs in Brussels: “Even though the cause of the accident remains unclear, it is yet another stark reminder of the senseless destruction and immense grief that this war causes.”
Poland Wants Allies to Send Up To 100 Tanks to Support Ukraine (10:30 a.m.)
Poland expects European allies to send as many as 100 battle tanks to support Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. “We have earmarked our 14 Leopards tanks and now we wait also for Leopards from Denmark, Finland, and Germany and tanks from other countries from the EU.”
Poland Wants Allies to Send Up To 100 Tanks to Support Ukraine
Russia Says Has Seen No ‘Serious’ Ukraine Peace Proposals (10:05 a.m.)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow has not seen any “serious” proposals from the West to end the war in Ukraine.
“We are ready to respond to any serious proposals, we don’t see any serious proposals yet,” Lavrov said Wednesday at his annual press conference in Moscow. Russia isn’t willing to negotiate with Zelenskiy, he said.
The US and its allies are supplying Ukraine with increasing amounts of weapons to bolster Kyiv’s position at eventual talks, Lavrov said. Russia’s invasion of the neighboring state in February has provoked the worst fighting in Europe since World War II, with Western countries supplying billions of dollars in arms to Ukraine to help it repel the Russian aggression.
Helicopter Crash Causes 18 Deaths in Kyiv Region (9:30 a.m.)
The helicopter belonged to the Ukrainian Emergency Service and interior ministry officials were on board. The aircraft fell near a kindergarten and a multi-floor apartment building. Eighteen people were killed, including three children, and 29 were injured including 15 kids, according to Kyiv region governor Oleksiy Kuleba on Telegram.
Zelenskiy Promises Air-Defense Reinforcement (8:10 a.m.)
Ukraine is considering moves to strengthen its air-defense system, Zelenskiy said in his nightly address. Ukrainian officers will be trained to use a new Patriot missile defense system in 10 weeks instead of the period of at least 10 months that is usually required, Interfax-Ukraine reported late Tuesday, citing Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
Dutch Premier Rutte said the Netherlands plans to send a Patriot system to Ukraine, joining the US and Germany in bolstering the Ukrainian military arsenal with crucial air defense to fight Russia’s invasion.
Dutch Premier Pledges to Send Patriot Defense System to Ukraine
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