"I understand the sacrifice I am making," MP Denys Monastyrsky commented on President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal to take over as Minister of Internal Affairs in July 2021. He could hardly have imagined that the sacrifice would be so great: On January 18, at 8:20 a.m., a helicopter carrying Monastyrsky, his first deputy Yevgen Yenin, and the department's state secretary Yuriy Lubkovych crashed in Brovary near Kyiv. Also on board were Monastyrsky's assistant Tetiana Shutiak, the head of the minister's security, Mykhailo Pavlushko, and photographer Mykola Anatsky. All nine people on board (including three crew members) were killed.
Five more people died on the ground, including one child. In total, according to the National Police and the State Emergency Service, 25 people were injured, of whom 11 were children.
This is the first time in the history of the Ukrainian government that one of the country's main agencies has been beheaded suddenly and simultaneously except for February 2014, when Viktor Yanukovych's team fled abroad.
Why was the entire leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in one helicopter together? According to official reports, the Interior Ministry leadership was on a business trip to one of the flashpoints.
Was the helicopter faulty? According to the State Emergency Service, the EU-225 helicopter (tail number 54), which Denys Monastrysky and his colleagues were flying, was repeatedly involved in the transfer of personnel to emergency scenes. "Among the aircraft in the Ministry of Internal Affairs system, this plane was used most often because of its ability to transport a sufficient number of people at a time. The aircraft crew was trained to perform tasks in difficult conditions and had the required number of flight hours on EU-225 helicopters," the Ministry said in a statement.
What is named to be the official cause of the crash? The cause of the crash is to be determined by the investigation. The pre-trial investigation has been entrusted to SBU detectives. The case is under Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin's control.
Among the causes of the plane crash is, in particular, a pilot error caused by bad weather conditions – there was thick fog over the Kyiv province on January 18. On October 21, 2019, a helicopter piloted by former Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Kutovy crashed in Poltava region under similar circumstances – while performing a descent manoeuvre after getting into fog. The pilot was killed.
Who has the right to replace the minister? As already mentioned, this is the first time in Ukraine's recent history that a law enforcement agency has lost its leaders in one day.
According to the protocol, the minister personally determines the duties of his deputies and the distribution of powers between them during his absence – vacation, business trip – and they perform them until his return. Most often, the minister's duties are assigned to the first deputy, who in this case also died. The deputies include Boghdan Drapyaty, Meri Aakopian, Sergiy Goncharov, Kateryna Pavlichenko, and Igor Bondarenko.
Who has the right to replace the State Secretary of the MIA? The State Secretary of the MIA is the highest-ranking civil servant in the ministry. In his absence or, as stated in the Regulation on the Ministry, in case of "impossibility to perform his duties for other reasons", his duties are exercised by one of the heads of independent structural units in the MIA apparatus in accordance with the order of the State Secretary of the MIA.
The prohibition on joint flights and simultaneous stay in the high-risk zone for all senior staff of key agencies is a logical recommendation, but it is not enshrined in any protocol.
Who was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? The Cabinet of Ministers has appointed Igor Klymenko, the head of the National Police of Ukraine as the head of the MIA with the note "acting." He also became the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"After discussions with the Parliament, the appointment of a new head of the agency will be presented. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is one of the key links in our country's security, so the necessary protocols are in place to keep all processes manageable," Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said in this regard.
Denys Monastyrsky was born in 1980 in Khmelnytsky.
In 2006, he graduated from the Koretsky Institute of Management and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, after which for some time he was a lecturer there. Since 2007, he has worked as an associate at Hillmont Partners, Global Ties KC, and Legal Consulting. From 2015 to 2019, he served as an expert on law enforcement and judicial reform at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future think tank headed by Anton Gerashchenko.
Yevgen Yenin was born in 1980 in Dnipropetrovsk (now Dnipro).
He graduated from the National Academy of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian State University of Finance and International Trade (major in international law).
In 2002–2005, he served as an officer in the operational units of the SBU and the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
He worked in the structures of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
From 2016 to 2019, he was Deputy Prosecutor General, from 2020 to 2021 – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and from September 2021 – First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
Yuriy Lubkovych was born in 1989 in Ternopil.
In 2010, he graduated from Erasmus University Rotterdam with a degree in Business. At the same time, he received a bachelor's degree in management from Ternopil National Economic University.
In 2011, he received a Master's degree in Foreign Economic Activity Management from Ternopil National Economic University.
On November 17, 2021, he was appointed State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Igor Klymenko was born in 1972 in Kyiv.
In 1994, he graduated from Kharkiv Military University, and in 2014, he received a master's degree from Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs.
From 2015 to 2017, he headed the Human Resources Department of the National Police of Ukraine.
Since October 2017, he has been the Deputy Head of the National Police – Head of the Personnel Department, and since March 2018 – Deputy Head of the National Police.
In 2019, he defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Psychology, entitled "Theory and Practice of Psychological Support for Professional Training of Police Officers" in the field of "Legal Psychology."
Since September 25, 2019, he has been the Head of the National Police of Ukraine.