Security and partnership: Ihor Klymenko took part in the meeting of G7 Interior Ministers
Today, October 03, a meeting of the G7 Interior Ministers took place in Italy. Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, participated in the meeting in the online format. The parties discussed partnership and security projects against the backdrop of the russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At the beginning of the meeting, Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, expressed his gratitude to the partners for the invitation and for their continued attention and support of our country which has been repelling the aggressor for over 2 years. The Minister of Internal Affairs stated that over this time, police investigators have recorded more than 128,000 war crimes committed by the occupiers on the territory of Ukraine:
War crimes and evacuation
"The enemy has carried out almost 195 thousand attacks on the territory of Ukraine. And right at this moment, attacks and strikes are ongoing along the entire frontline. Compared to 2022, the dynamics of shelling has increased 4 times. In the vast majority of cases, the targets of enemy attacks remain civilian infrastructure facilities: residential buildings, hospitals, schools and kindergartens. In the wake of constant attacks, the National Police of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine have set up evacuation teams to ensure the evacuation of civilians from dangerous areas. There are about 70 evacuation teams operating in the Donetsk region alone, and since the beginning of this year they have evacuated 300,000 people"
Preparing for the winter period
Ihor Klymenko noted that energy infrastructure remains a priority target for the enemy, hence the Ministry of Internal Affairs is constantly improving algorithms for dealing with the russian attacks in winter. In particular, the Minister spoke about the set-up of 750 "Invincibility Points", adding that the Ministry is ready to set up another 450 such points if necessary.
“The experience of working in blackout is not new to us. But we continue to improve our interaction. We are constantly conducting exercises in the regions to respond to situations related to the lack of power supply. Rescuers and the police have clear calculations of forces and means. The regime of enhanced protection of critical infrastructure facilities continues, in particular with the help of our mobile fire teams”, – the Minister said.
Security environment in educational institutions
The Minister of Internal Affairs spoke about the security architecture in educational institutions of Ukraine - civil protection, man-made and fire safety and access control to the territory adjacent to the school. Ihor Klymenko also informed the partners about the Education Security Service project, whereby about 2,000 schools will have their own police officer to protect students and teaching staff by the end of 2024.
Cybersecurity
"Since the beginning of the full-scale war, we have been tracking the trend of increasing enemy attempts to involve Ukrainian citizens, in particular young people, in various illegal schemes in cyberspace and hybrid warfare against Ukraine. In this context, new challenges have been added - the involvement of people in destructive communities and recruitment by the enemy, as well as the well-known ones - cyber fraud, cyber bullying, etc", – added Ihor Klymenko.
Controlling arms trafficking
The parties also discussed the issue of arms control. The Minister of Internal Affairs stressed that the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs carefully monitor and prevent cases of illegal use of weapons and ammunition on the territory of Ukraine, as well as take measures and ensure the accounting of weapons issued at the beginning of the invasion. In addition, the Minister noted the effectiveness of cooperation with partners from the EU and EUROPOL in preventing the smuggling of weapons from Ukraine to European countries.
"Strengthening the state borders is of particular importance in this context. We need innovative solutions to properly equip the border. Observation points along the border line should be equipped with monitoring tools - smart video surveillance systems, which will allow us to strengthen border protection and prevent offences", – said Ihor Klymenko.
Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs personnel
The Minister of Internal Affairs also discussed with the G7 partners the issue of rehabilitation of soldiers returning from the frontline. Ihor Klymenko stressed that comprehensive, all-round support and rehabilitation is a priority for the Ministry of Internal Affairs:
"Every Hero has access to professional medical care, psychological support, rehabilitation programmes and prosthetics, as well as to opportunities for further employment. Today, rehabilitation centres and medical facilities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs use advanced methods to restore both physical and mental health. We are also currently working on opening a mental health centre and a prosthetics centre".
Exchange of experience
At the end of the meeting, Ihor Klymenko expressed his gratitude to all those present for the constructive dialogue and noted that the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have unique experience in demining, documenting war crimes, combating cybercrime, working at the sites of shelling and evacuating civilians from dangerous areas and are ready to share this with other countries.
"We are doing everything possible, and sometimes more, to ensure the safety of citizens. And we are grateful to our strategic partners for the fact that we are not standing alone in this difficult time. Thank you for your resolute and constant support and assistance!", – the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine summed up.
Communications Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
