Ukraine interior minister dead in helicopter crash

The three main figures in Ukraine's interior ministry have been killed in a helicopter crash beside a nursery in an eastern suburb of the capital Kyiv.

Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, 42, died alongside his first deputy minister and state secretary.

Nine people were killed when the helicopter came down in Brovary and another nine died on the ground, including three children.

Mr Monastyrsky is the highest profile Ukrainian casualty since the war began.

The deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said the minister had been en route to a war "hot spot" when his helicopter went down.

There is no indication the crash was anything other than an accident, although witnesses said Russia's war was to blame for the disaster.

The 42-year-old interior minister was a prominent member of President Volodymy Zelensky's cabinet. He played a key role in updating the public on casualties caused by Russian missile strikes since Ukraine was invaded in February 2022.

First deputy minister Yevhen Yenin died along with state secretary Yurii Lubkovich, whose task was to organise the work of the ministry.

The scene of the crash in the town of Brovary is located some 20 kilometres northeast of Kyiv.

The crash came on the heels of a tragedy that saw 45 people including six children die when a Russian missile struck a residential building in the eastern city of Dnipro at the weekend.