Zelensky seen at funeral for victims of chopper tragedy blamed on war

Zelensky’s tears for helicopter dead: Ukrainian President and wife Olena are seen at funeral in Kyiv for 18 victims of chopper tragedy blamed on Putin

• Eighteen people died in a helicopter crash in Brovary, Ukraine last Wednesday 
• President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife today attended the funeral service
• An investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing, officials say 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, today attended a funeral ceremony for seven senior Interior Ministry officials who died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday 18 January.

The helicopter carrying Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky and other senior officials crashed into a nursery school building in a residential suburb in Kyiv, killing all nine on board and nine on the ground.

Mr Monastyrsky, who oversaw the country’s police and emergency services, is the most senior official killed since Russia invaded Ukraine.

At the funeral service in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, President Zelensky and his wife laid flowers on seven coffins draped in flag of Ukraine and spoke to the families. 

President Zelensky and his wife spoke with families at the funeral service held on Saturday

Seven coffins were draped in the blue and yellow flags of Ukraine at the service this weekend 

Speaking late on Wednesday, the president said that there were ‘several’ theories being investigated to explain the helicopter crash that killed the country’s interior minister and 17 others in Kyiv. 

He said the crash near a nursery was ‘not an accident’, calling it a consequence of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of his country.

When asked whether the crash was an accident, Zelensky said: ‘The investigation is ongoing. There are several theories and I’m not authorised to talk about any of them until the investigation is finished.’

Ukraine did not claim direct Russian involvement in the helicopter crash, but Zelensky said the tragedy was a consequence of the war. 

‘There are no accidents at war. These are all war results,’ Zelensky said in English, appearing by video link in the Swiss resort town of Davos at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting.

All nine on board the helicopter died, as well as nine bystanders on the ground below

Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky (L) and his deputy Yevhen Yenin (R) died in the crash

President Zelensky on Wednesday said that the helicopter crash was a consequence of war

Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Filaret, attended the ceremony

Zelensky’s comments at Davos were echoed by Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Ukraine’s parliament, who spoke after the service.

He said: ‘All this would not have happened if not for this terrible and undeclared war which the Russian Federation is waging against Ukraine.

‘Therefore, we must remember this and not forget these people. Because for Ukraine and Ukrainians, every lost life is a great tragedy.’

Ukraine loses its Interior Minister, its Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin, and the rest of its ministry’s leadership team with the accident. 

Ukraine made significant gains at the end of last year but finds itself ‘in a state of deadlock’ as the war approaches its one-year anniversary in February.

Ukrainian forces have continued to make some gains in the north east, but have felt setbacks elsewhere as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army has bombarded other parts of Ukraine.

The helicopter crash last Wednesday was the second tragedy for Ukraine within four days as a Russian air strike in Dnipro left at least 40 dead last Saturday.

Russia last week took the Ukrainian mining town of Soledar, its first tangible victory in several months.

Ukraine acknowledged falling back from the contested area earlier this week. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska pay tribute to victims of the helicopter crash that occurred in Kyiv on 18 January 2023

President Zelensky (C) and his wife Olena (L) lay flowers at coffins draped in Ukraine’s flag

Military officers and the families of the deceased pictured at a funeral ceremony on Saturday

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attends the funeral ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine

Ukraine revealed earlier this week the country is bracing itself for a three-pronged attack from Belarus in the north, as well as the east and the south.

US officials also say Ukraine is planning an offensive on its own after a stagnant winter, but has been urged to hold out until the spring when mobility is greater and the country has received more weaponry from the West.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley expressed strong doubt Friday that Ukraine would succeed in driving Russian troops out its territory this year. 

Mourners attend a funeral ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday for the crash victims

Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk (pictured) spoke after the funeral service

18 died in the crash on 18 January, including Internal Affairs minister Denys Monastyrsky, first deputy Yevhen Yenin, and State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yuri Lubkovych

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) offers relatives his condolences during the funeral

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