Police chief Klymenko appointed acting interior minister following death of Monastyrsky

Ihor Klymenko, the chief of the National Police of Ukraine. Klymenko was appointed as acting interior minister following the death of Denys Monastyrsky in a helicopter crash near Kyiv on Jan. 18, 2022. (National Police/Facebook)

The head of the National Police, Ihor Klymenko, will serve as the acting interior minister, following the death of Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky in a helicopter crash on Jan. 18, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced.

The ministry, which oversees policing, security, and emergency services, had an emergency protocol in place to continue its function, Shmyhal said. A new permanent interior minister will be selected after consulting with parliament. The candidate must be approved by the parliament vote. 

Monastyrsky was onboard a State Emergency Service helicopter that crashed next to a kindergarten and a residential building in Brovary, a city just east of Kyiv, on the morning of Jan. 18.

At least 17 people, including 4 children, were killed due to the crash. All nine people onboard, which included the interior ministry's top officials and other employees, and emergency service personnel, died.