Kiev — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has tasked the country's secret service with investigating the cause of a helicopter crash that led to the deaths of 14 people including Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky on Wednesday.
It is unclear what brought the helicopter down in the small town of Brovary on Wednesday morning but Zelensky promised clarification during his evening video address.
Monastyrsky and his deputy Yevhen Yenin were not politicians who could "easily be replaced," he said. "It is a truly great loss for the state."
The latest reports say those dead included a child and that a further 25 people were injured after the crash near a Brovary kindergarten, some 26 kilometres north-east of the capital.
The president's office said that the minister and his deputy were heading to part of the front.
The helicopter was an Airbus H225. The European Aviation Safety Agency had temporarily grounded the H225 in 2016 over safety concerns. Its predecessor, the AS332, had already been involved in several aviation accidents.
Zelensky earlier spoke of an "indescribable pain" while leaders around the world sent messages of sympathy and support.
US President Joe Biden sent "deepest condolences to the families of all those killed in the tragic helicopter crash.
He said the minister and his team were "deeply involved in the preservation of Ukraine’s democracy — both its defense against Russian aggression, and the vital work of reforms to strengthen Ukraine’s institutions through this war and into the future."
EU Council President Charles Michel expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims. "We mourn with you," wrote European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, addressing the bereaved.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said she was inconsolable and that her thoughts were with the families and relatives of Monastyrsky and the other victims.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said they were both shocked and saddened by the crash.
Meanwhile as fighting continued throughout Ukraine, European leaders continued to deliberate in Davos and beyond whether to send more advanced tanks to Kiev ahead of a meeting of backers of Ukraine in Germany later this week.
"The main message there will be: more support, more advanced support, heavier weapons, and more modern weapons," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at Davos.
He did not specify whether any announcements would be made regarding the provision of Leopard 2 tanks, more modern and powerful weapons that Kiev has repeatedly requested. He could also be referring to a pledge by London to deliver 14 Challenger 2 battle tanks.
Earlier, Canada committed to sending 200 more transport tanks, the Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand said during a visit to Kiev. She said the armoured personnel carriers would be bought from the Canadian company Roshel and would be part of a military aid package.
Meanwhile in Riga, Defence Minister Inara Murniece said Latvia wants to provide further military aid in the form of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, helicopters, machine guns with ammunition and drones to Ukraine in the near future.
As analysts continue to assess the developments on the ground, a Washington official expressed concern about joint manoeuvres by Russia and Belarus.
National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in Washington that Belarus had provided "tangible, demonstrable" support to Russia in attacking Ukraine.
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence about the likely outcome of the war, during a visit to a weapons plant.
"I have no doubt about it," he said. Russia's missile manufacturers now produce about as much as all the countries of the world combined, he said, during a visit to the Almas-Antej arms factory.
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