A tearful Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended a memorial work connected Saturday for 7 elder interior ministry officials killed successful a chopper crash this week.
The erstwhile interior curate Denys Monastyrskyi, his lawman and 5 different high-ranking officials were killed erstwhile their French-made Super Puma chopper crashed into a nursery connected the eastbound outskirts of Kyiv successful foggy conditions connected Wednesday.
Another 7 radical were besides killed, including a child. Officials are investigating the origin of the crash.
The chopper went down days aft astatine slightest 45 radical were killed successful a Russian rocket onslaught that partially levelled a artifact of flats successful the south-eastern metropolis of Dnipro.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are fending disconnected an unrelenting Russian onslaught successful the east, wherever Moscow has expended immense resources for incremental advances 11 months into its full-scale invasion.
“The indescribable sadness is covering the soul,” the Ukrainian president wrote successful a Telegram station connected Saturday. “Ukraine is losing its champion sons and daughters each day.”
Zelenskiy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, paid their respects to the victims’ relatives wrong the Ukrainian House taste centre successful cardinal Kyiv. A assemblage of mourners snaked extracurricular toward Independence Square.
The country’s subject quality chief, Kyrylo Budanov, described Monastyrskyi’s decease arsenic a immense loss.
“If it hadn’t been for Monastyrskyi, everything could person been wholly different,” helium told Ukrainian media, referring to the absorption Ukraine has mounted since Moscow launched its penetration connected 24 February past year.
“He is simply a existent leader of this country.”
Monastyrskyi had been flying to a determination adjacent the frontline, a constabulary spokesperson said connected Thursday.