Ukraine defence minister in emergency helicopter landing
KIEV. April 13. KAZINFORM An Mi-8 helicopter carrying Ukraine Defense Minister Dmytro Salamatin and several officials made an emergency landing Thursday in the northern Zhytomyr region, the defense ministry said Friday.
The minister and all passengers and crew were safe, the ministry's press-service said in a statement.
It said the emergency landing, during a flight from Rovno city to Kiev, was due to a technical problem in the fuel system.
"We managed to avoid tragic consequences thanks to skillful actions of the crew and competent attempts to rectify the situation," Salamatin was quoted by the ministry's press-service as saying.
The minister stressed the need for fundamental changes in the technical re-equipment of the armed forces after the accident.
Salamatin was appointed defense minister in early February.
Xinhua