Mari Rantanen, the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Finland on an official visit to Ukraine
Mari Rantanen, the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Finland, arrived in Ukraine on an official visit to hold meetings with Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The meeting follows the dialogue between the two countries within the framework of the Agreement on Security Cooperation and Long-term Support signed on March 03, 2024.
The Finnish delegation was represented by Brigadier General Mika Rytkönen, the Head of the Finnish Border and Coast Guard, Laura Yli-Vakkuri, the Director General for International Relations of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Finland, Heikki Honkanen, the Senior Specialist of the Rescue Services Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Finland, Tarja Fernandes, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland to Ukraine, and Terhi Hakala, the Consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Finland in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian delegation was represented by Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ivan Vyhivskyi, the Head of the National Police of Ukraine, Andrii Danyk, the Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Serhii Deineko, the Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Brigadier General Oleksandr Pivnenko, the Head of the National Guard of Ukraine and others.
Kateryna Pavlichenko, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, met the partners at the railway station.
Upon arrival in Ukraine, the Finnish delegation led by Mari Rantanen took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine on Saint Michael's Square in the city of Kyiv.
After that the Finnish and Ukrainian delegations visited the Situation Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, where they could observe modern technologies for monitoring and analysing the security situation in the country.
The Finnish delegation highly appreciated the work of the centre, in particular the use of digital solutions for rapid response to threats, coordination of law enforcement agencies and ensuring public order in times of war.
The parties also got acquainted with the work of the Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Arms Trafficking and the Centre for Integrated Border Management.
The parties then held meetings focusing on such important topics as the current security situation, hybrid threats, environmental safety, UAV development, shelter system development, border cooperation, safe educational environment, documentation and investigation of war crimes, arms control, and others.
At the beginning of the meetings, Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine expressed his gratitude to the Finnish delegation and Mari Rantanen, the Minister of Interior personally for their support of Ukraine against russia's full-scale invasion, as well as for the fruitful cooperation within the framework of the Security Cooperation Agreement.
“The Nordic countries, in particular the Republic of Finland, are currently helping Ukraine to survive this war the most. In March 2024, the Presidents of Ukraine and the Republic of Finland signed a security agreement that outlined the main areas of cooperation. These include humanitarian demining, civil protection, exchange of experience in border protection, the fight against organised crime and countering hybrid threats. And this Agreement is quite an important matter for Ukraine. We are strengthening our resilience, our security, and restoring law and order. We are ready to share our experience gained over the years in repelling russian aggression”, – said Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine noted that the war has changed the working functions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Police, rescuers, border guards and the National Guard are performing a much wider range of tasks than before the war. The agency is also constantly improving its response protocols:
“We are changing emergency response protocols, especially at energy facilities. We are also conducting command and control trainings and practicing interaction with the services. And we are ready to hold such trainings together with our Finnish colleagues, as we need to be resilient and ready for any challenges”.
In her turn, Mari Rantanen, the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Finland, stressed that she was honoured to be in the city of Kyiv at this difficult time and to be able to support Ukraine.
“I would like to note an extraordinary fact: for more than three years now, Ukraine has been heroically repelling Russian attacks, and much of this work has been done by the servicemen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We continue to admire your resilience and determination. On behalf of the Republic of Finland, I would like to reiterate that we stand with you and will continue to support you for as long as it takes. You can rely on us completely”, – said Mari Rantanen, the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Finland.
Meanwhile, Mari Rantanen noted that Ukraine has made a big step in terms of UAV production and the Republic of Finland is interested in this experience:
"Preparedness is a thing that should always be improved given the current circumstances. I mean the preparedness to respond to threats on land and at sea, and we are very grateful to you for the opportunity to meet and discuss it. In recent years, Ukraine has been making progress in the development of unmanned systems. Compared to your systems, we have a long way to go. So we would definitely like to learn from your experience".
The delegations also discussed the issue of hybrid threats, including countering disinformation in the European segment of social media. To this end, Ihor Klymenko suggested that the partners establish a joint response team to ensure timely detection, prompt response to common destructive challenges and a coordinated common position.
"Your visit to Ukraine is an assurance that we are supported. Indeed, at the beginning of the war, we were learning how to document crimes, work with drones, and learn how to fight. And as of today, we have trained tens of thousands of specialists who are performing their duties even under enemy fire. Unfortunately, we have suffered losses, and this is the price of our resilience. Over the three years of war, we have lost more than 100 rescuers, and we have many wounded. That is why the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine has set up social services to work with both the wounded and their families", – said Ihor Klymenko.
The Minister noted that the Ministry of Internal Affairs also has its own medical services, including rehabilitation facilities and a mental health centre. In addition, a prosthetic and rehabilitation centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is being built to provide a full cycle of medical support for injured employees of the system.
“Firstly, we deliver the wounded to stabilisation centres near the frontline. The future health and lives of our soldiers depend on them. We have trained each of our soldiers, border guards, national guardsmen, rescuers and police officers to provide first aid. And here we could organize relevant training together with you and share our experience”, – added Ihor Klymenko.
As a separate part of the discussion, the parties touched upon the topic of building a shelter system in Ukraine. As it is known, in October 2024, Ukraine and the Republic of Finland launched a dialogue on the creation of a “Shelter Coalition”.
“We have thoroughly studied the experience of the Republic of Finland and here I would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity to train our specialists in this area. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine has also developed a Strategy for the Development of the Civil Protection Protective Structures Fund, which has been approved by the Government. Now we will make changes to the legislation, taking into account the historical experience of the Republic of Finland”, – said Ihor Klymenko.
“It took us 80 years to build such a network of shelters. We, in turn, hope that you will succeed, and we are ready to share our experience in this area”, – said Mari Rantanen, Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Finland, in response.
The Ukrainian and Finnish delegations also discussed border cooperation. Ihor Klymenko noted that Finland's common border with russia poses threats to the country in the context of security in the region.
The partners also discussed the issue of illegal arms trafficking.
“Illicit arms trafficking is a common challenge, and we are aware that this threat may increase after the end of hostilities. That is why it is important to be proactive by strengthening control and international cooperation in this area. We highly appreciate Ukraine's efforts to counter this phenomenon and are pleased to note that no weapons from Ukraine have been transferred to the Republic of Finland. This is a testimony to the responsible work of Ukrainian law enforcement officers”, – said Mari Rantanen, Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Finland.
The parties also discussed the issue of creating a safe educational environment in Ukraine during the war.
Ihor Klymenko stressed that the safety of children in educational institutions is one of the priorities of the Ministry. For this purpose, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine has launched the Educational Security Service project, which provides that each secondary education institution should have its own police officer to ensure the safety of children.
As part of the official visit, the Finnish delegation visited one of the the Security and National Patriotic Education Lyceums of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the city of Kyiv.
There are currently five such lyceums in Ukraine – in the cities of Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kryvyi Rih and Kyiv.
"More than five hundred children from privileged categories receive full board education there. This is our social responsibility to their parents who pay the ultimate price to protect the country", – said Ihor Klymenko.
The Minister of Internal Affairs added that this year more than 1,000 children will study in the lyceums.
“I am confident that here you will be able to get a quality education that will open up new opportunities for you”, – said Mari Rantanen, Minister of the Interior of Finland, addressing the lyceum students.
The Finnish delegation visited one of the fire and rescue units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The Head of the State Emergency Service, Andrii Danyk, showed the foreign guests the modern material and technical support and told them about the challenges faced by rescuers during the full-scale war. Andrii Danyk stressed that the russian occupiers are deliberately hunting for rescuers, attacking them on the road, at the sites of the aftermath of the strikes and targeting them individually.
The Head of the State Emergency Service thanked the Minister of the Interior of Finland, Mari Rantanen, for providing a mobile armoured module for Ukrainian rescuers.
“International cooperation and support are extremely important for improving the safety and efficiency of Ukrainian rescuers, which, in turn, helps protect the lives and health of Ukrainian citizens”, – said Andrii Danyk.
He presented a mobile safety class to the foreign guests. Such classes help to develop children's responsible attitude to their own safety and the safety of others. They teach children how to be attentive to the environment, help each other in case of danger and how to seek help if needed.
Andrii Danyk also demonstrated modern Bohun snow and swamp buggies and firefighting boats, mechanised robots that can not only extinguish fires autonomously and remotely but also clear areas of explosives.
The Finnish delegation was presented with vehicles with armoured capsules inside that can transport unexploded enemy missiles, as well as a mobile control centre with an escort vehicle and personnel for its deployment.
These meetings underscore the importance of international support to provide Ukrainian rescuers with the necessary equipment and machinery to effectively perform firefighting, mine clearance, diving, mobile shelter operations and ensure the safety of citizens.
In addition, the Finnish delegation visited the Aviation Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where they were presented with the main activities of this unit. The delegates were briefed on the role of aviation, which includes aircraft and helicopters that are actively used by the National Police of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, in particular for the transport of wounded individuals.
The Aviation Security Department also organises the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. One of the key areas of work in wartime is the use of electronic intelligence and electronic warfare.
The Finnish side was shown some developments made by Ukrainian manufacturers and within the MIA system, including the National Guard, the National Police and the State Border Guard Service, including multirotor and fixed-wing models, as well as foreign models of equipment that are actively used in the department's activities. In addition, the delegation got acquainted with the results of the department's work, including the captured enemy aircraft that resulted from successful combat operations.
Communications Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
