Police chiefs of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia signed a letter of cooperation
It is about the exchange of experience and advanced methods of work in the field of ensuring public safety and order, protection of human rights and freedoms, combating crime, etc. The signing of the document took place today, August 23, during a working meeting of the leadership of the police departments of the four countries.
The meeting was attended by First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Yevhenii Yenin, Chairman of the National Police of Ukraine Igor Klymenko, Commissioner General of Police of the Republic of Lithuania Renatas Pozhela, Chief of the State Police of the Republic of Latvia Armands Ruks, Director General of the Police and Border Protection Department Security of the Republic of Estonia Elmar Vacher, Advisor on Cooperation with Ukraine of the Office of International Cooperation of the Police of the Republic of Lithuania Alvidas Medalinskas.
Ukrainian police officers and foreign delegations took part in the flag raising ceremony. For a moment of silence, participants honored the memory of all those killed as a result of the Russian Federation's military invasion of Ukraine.
Yevhenii Yenin emphasized the importance of support that units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine receive from foreign colleagues.
“After February 24, we gained a significantly new experience and would like to share it. Thank you for your support by all possible means, because no one can know how far Russia could go if it were not for the collective support of the allies. The police remain on the ground and perform unusual functions for the service, from the delivery of humanitarian aid, medicines, pensions, the evacuation of people, the escort of so-called green corridors and, of course, the investigation of war crimes. Thank you for being with us, we are always happy for you,” said the First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.
Igor Klymenko thanked his foreign colleagues who have been helping Ukraine since the first days of the Russian invasion, and spoke about the peculiarities of the work of the Ukrainian police in the conditions of a full-scale war:
“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we have received almost 4 million calls. Blockposts have been launched all over the country, which show their effectiveness. At the same time, Russia's military aggression has forced millions of people to flee their homes. In total, the police helped evacuate about 4 million citizens and carried out more than 15,000 escorts of vehicles involved in the temporary movement of children. Despite the constant shelling, the police constantly remove people from the hottest points of our state. For those who for various reasons do not leave their homes, police officers bring humanitarian aid,” the head of the National Police said.
He also told about a special police crew working in the Donetsk region, which locals called the “White Angel”. Recently, these policemen were injured while evacuating people, but continued their rescue flight.
At the same time, the occupiers are blocking and mercilessly shelling evacuation flights. According to such facts, the investigating police have already started more than 80 criminal proceedings. There are dead and wounded civilians, among them children.
“A great responsibility for the police was the need to document crimes committed by servicemen of the Russian Federation. Because this is the evidence base that will become the basis for the prosecution of Russia in international courts. In total, police investigators have launched nearly 29 thousand criminal proceedings of this category. This is an unprecedented experience for both Ukrainian and foreign investigators. Together with us, colleagues from France and Slovakia joined the collection of evidence of Russian war crimes. The Republic of Lithuania has provided us with a separate specialized group of investigators,” the head of the NPU said.
Separately, Igor Klymenko stressed that the most difficult thing to face on this path is the identification of the bodies of the dead. At the same time, the police have already developed a system of work at the sites of war crimes.
According to the head of the Ukrainian police, the issue of identifying and bringing to justice the collaborators remains relevant. The police have launched almost 1,200 criminal proceedings on these facts. 202 people have already received reports of suspicion: “We document those who collaborated and supported the enemy, wherever they were. Even if these persons are in the temporarily occupied territory, punishment cannot be avoided. They are declared absentee suspects.”
Igor Klymenko stressed that after the liberation of the temporarily occupied territories, in addition to investigative actions, there is another large-scale task - operational demining: “Explosive units of the police have already inspected more than 8.5 thousand hectares of territory. They discovered and recovered nearly 100,000 munitions and about 3 tons of explosives. So far, 26.5 thousand explosive objects and almost 2.5 tons of explosives have been destroyed.”
Also, Igor Klymenko stressed that, despite the new challenges, the police continue to carry out the tasks of preventing and combating crime: “What I said is only a small part of our work, which is carried out daily by the staff of the National Police of Ukraine. And I'm proud of every employee who has stayed true to the Oath.”
In his turn, the Commissioner General of Police of the Republic of Lithuania Renatas Pozhela thanked for the openness of the Ukrainian police in the conditions of war: “We also want to share with you our best practices not only at the central but also at the regional levels. We are ready to work in the format of joint investigation teams at crime scenes to collect evidence of violations of human rights and humanity — war crimes. We also want to show the best practices, how we provide conditions for the stay and residence of Ukrainian refugees in our regions. And the work of our police on refugees is extremely important.”
Director General of the Department of Police and Border Protection of the Republic of Estonia Elmar Vacher noted that the Estonian side is ready to maintain trilateral contact and cooperate with the police of Ukraine: “We are ready to ensure the safety of your citizens in Estonia and provide assistance. You are a very powerful, strong organization.”
The head of the State Police of the Republic of Latvia, Armands Ruks, stressed the importance of such cooperation: “We are interested in cooperation in the exchange of best practices regarding the fight against organized crime, as well as the protection of citizens residing in Latvia. We look forward to further cooperation and cooperation with you.”
As part of the meeting, foreign colleagues handed over humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian police, in particular, equipment for the explosives service and two cars.
The award of the best police officers of Lviv region was also held.
Department of Communications of the National Police of Ukraine
