Czech politicians offer condolences to family of Ukrainian interior minister

Czech interior minister Vít Rakušan has said that he will personally offer his condolences to the family of his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Monastyrsky, who died in a helicopter crash in the town of Brovary near Kyiv on Wednesday.

Arriving at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning, Mr Rakušan said that the accident was a very personal matter for him, as he hadn't only had a business relationship with the Ukrainian minister but also a personal one. Prime minister Petr Fiala and foreign minister Jan Lipavský have also expressed their condolences to the families of Mr Monastyrsky and other victims of the crash on social media.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, 18 people died in the accident, including three children. Mr Monastyrsky is the highest profile Ukrainian casualty since the war in Ukraine began, says the BBC.

It is not yet clear what caused the helicopter to crash. Russia has not commented on the accident and Ukrainian officials have not mentioned any Russian attacks in the area at the time of the tragedy, according to the Reuters news agency.