USA TODAY International Edition

Helicopter crashes into kindergart­en

Ukraine senior official, child among 14 killed

- John Bacon, Kim Hjelmgaard, Tom Vanden Brook and Jorge L. Ortiz

A helicopter crashed into a kindergart­en in a Kyiv suburb Wednesday, killing at least 14 people, including a top government official and a child on the ground, Ukrainian authoritie­s said. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said 25 people were injured, including 11 children.

Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsk­yi, who oversaw Ukraine’s police and emergency services, appears to be the most senior Ukrainian official killed since the start of the war in Ukraine. Two of his top deputies, their assistants and the helicopter crew were among the dead, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Nine of those killed were aboard the chopper when it crashed in Brovary, an eastern suburb of the Ukrainian capital. Other victims were on the ground.

“Unspeakabl­e pain,” Zelenskyy said. “Bright memory to everyone whose life was taken by this black morning.”

Zelenskyy said the national police and security services were working to determine the cause of the crash. There was no initial informatio­n indicating the helicopter, which was flying in foggy conditions, was shot down. Images posted on social media from near the scene appear to suggest it crashed close to a residentia­l building after striking the kindergart­en.

President Joe Biden issued a statement Wednesday saying, “We grieve with all those who are mourning this heartbreak­ing tragedy.”

At the World Economic Forum session in Davos, Switzerlan­d, Ukraine first lady Olena Zelenska fought back tears, and forum President Borge Brende of Norway requested 15 seconds of silence after opening the session to honor the victims.

Other developmen­ts:

● The Pentagon has designated stockpiles of its artillery shells in Israel to supply Ukrainian forces engaged in heavy combat with Russia in the Donbas region, a U. S. official confirmed Wednesday to USA TODAY. The two sides have been firing thousands of shells a day at each other, a pace that has forced the U. S. and its allies to scour the world for ammunition to feed Ukrainian guns.

● Rolling blackouts are underway in eight regions – among them Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzh­ia – as Russian missile attacks cripple Ukraine’s electricit­y generation, which covers only about 75% of demand, according to power system operator Ukrenergo.

 ?? SERGEI SUPINSKY/ AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES ?? Military and onlookers stand at the site of a deadly helicopter crash Wednesday outside Kyiv, Ukraine.
SERGEI SUPINSKY/ AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Military and onlookers stand at the site of a deadly helicopter crash Wednesday outside Kyiv, Ukraine.

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