<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said there are "no accidents at war time" after 14 people died in a helicopter crash in the capital, Kyiv.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Ukraine has not claimed Russian involvement, but Mr Zelensky told the World Economic Forum in Davos the tragedy was a consequence of the war.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky died, alongside several colleagues.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Zelensky also used his video address to urge allies to quickly send more weapons before new Russian offensives.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The time the free world uses to think is used by the terrorist state to kill," he explained. The remark was interpreted as a request for Germany to hurry along a delivery of its much-coveted Leopard tanks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Berlin has reportedly been unwilling to send the vehicles unless the US commits to providing its own Abrams battle tanks. The UK recently pledged to send a number of its own tanks to Kyiv.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The head of the Nato military alliance said at Davos on Wednesday that Ukraine could expect to receive "more support, more advanced support, heavier weapons and more modern weapons".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jens Stoltenberg said Nato's member states would meet on Friday to discuss what military equipment could be sent to Kyiv.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Wednesday's helicopter crash occurred near a nursery in Brovary, outside Kyiv, at around 08:30 local time (06:30 GMT). One of the 14 who died was a child.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Monastyrsky, 42, was one of President Zelensky's longest serving political advisers. He is the highest-profile Ukrainian casualty since the war began.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His death cuts to the heart of the government in Kyiv as the interior ministry has the vital task of maintaining security and running the police during the war.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He was a recognisable face for Ukrainians throughout the war, updating the public on casualties caused by Russian missile strikes since Ukraine was invaded in February 2022.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office said Mr Monastyrsky had been travelling to a war "hot spot". The head of police in Kharkiv added that the ministerial team had been on its way to meet him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is no indication the crash was anything other than an accident.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But the SBU state security service said it was considering several possible causes - including sabotage, a technical malfunction or breach of flight rules.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Key officials are often flown by helicopter across Ukraine at tree-level to avoid detection, but that comes with risks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All that was recognisable of the helicopter was a door panel and one of its rotors which landed on the roof of a car. Next to it were three bodies covered in foil blankets.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Other officials who died in the crash included first deputy minister Yevhen Yenin and state secretary Yuriy Lubkovych, as well as Tetiana Shutiak, an aide to Mr Monastyrsky.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Following the disaster, Ihor Klymenko - the head of Ukraine's national police force - was appointed acting interior minister.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A friend of the late minister, MP Mariia Mezentseva, said it was a tragedy for everyone as the ministry had a significant role in Ukraine's response to the invasion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"He responded 24/7 to his colleagues, friends and family. He was very close to President Zelensky from day one of his presidential campaign," she told the BBC.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">US President Joe Biden labelled the crash a "heartbreaking tragedy".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Parents were bringing their children to the kindergarten before going to work when the helicopter came down nearby.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many of the casualties were on the ground. As well as the child that was killed, 11 of the 25 injured on the ground were youngsters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Witnesses in Kyiv agreed with President Zelensky that the war was to blame for the disaster.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It was very foggy and there was no electricity, and when there's no electricity there are no lights on the buildings," local resident Volodymyr Yermelenko told the BBC.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Other witnesses said the pilot had tried to avoid high-rise buildings before the crash, and instead went down near the kindergarten.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Parents were running, screaming. There was panic," said local volunteer Lidiya. Emergency services and residents rushed to evacuate the children as fire spread through the nursery building.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One resident, Dmytro, described jumping over a fence to help get children out. He said he picked up one girl whose father did not recognise her as her face was covered in blood.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The incident came four days Ukraine was hit by one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since the start of the war.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A Russian missile hit a block of flats in the central city of Dnipro, killing 45 people, including six children. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>