At the service of peace: the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have always been among the first peacekeepers to ensure law order and protection
In 2002, the General Assembly declared May 29 the International Day of Peacekeepers, which was initiated by the Ukrainian Association of Peacekeepers. This date is intended to pay tribute to the self-sacrifice and dedication of peacekeepers who serve around the world.
“In 2003, I participated in a peacekeeping operation in the Republic of Iraq in the province of Wasit, the city of Al Kut, which sits on the left bank of the Tigris River. First of all, we were there to preserve the lives of children and civilians so that they could feel safer in their homes. After all, the cruelty of the enemy was not human — there are no rules and conventions. It is somewhat reminiscent of today's war: the behavior and ways of waging war are similar to the actions of the aggressor,” says Oleksandr, a soldier of the National Guard of Ukraine.
The National Guard is convinced that every peacemaker of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a patriot of his country. After all, it was in order to maintain the prestige of their state and support foreign colleagues that they became peacekeepers.
Peacemaker and National Guardsman Stepan Lukovych, who began his military career in 1999 and served in the special forces battalion “Black Scorpion”, also shared his story. Having the necessary level of physical fitness, as well as fluent in English, the guard was selected and in 2001 left with a peacekeeping mission to Kosovo.
“From the first days after arrival, together with peacekeepers from foreign countries, they began to perform services. The war was coming to an end and the situation was very unstable. Muslims blew up Christian churches and Christians blew up their mosques. We had our armored vehicles and transported people and children. Muslim children had to be transported to school through Serbian villages. After all, the warring sides could do anything — they could shoot, blow up,” recalls the Master Sergeant of the National Guard.
The military said that he returned to his homeland after 1.5 years of carrying out peacekeeping tasks. Today he continues to serve in one of the units of the National Guard in Lviv and believes in our Victory over the Russian enemy.
Recall that in connection with the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed Decree of 07.03.2022 №114/2022 “On the withdrawal of the national contingent and personnel participating in international operations to maintain peace and security”.
At the time of signing the Decree, the Ministry of Internal Affairs participated in 5 international operations.
“Today, many of the former peacekeepers are again on the watch of peaceful life, but already in their own country. They fight for the freedom and independence of the Motherland and pass on their combat experience to young soldiers. But on the day of the Ukrainian peacekeeper, in all of them there is only one wish - that in the world there are as few prerequisites as possible for the emergence of such stabilization missions, so that there are no “hot spots” on the planet and that every aggressor remembers - where the Ukrainian military is engaged, the occupiers and terrorists will be crushed”, - Alexander is convinced.
All Ukrainian peacekeepers have been awarded UN Medals “At the Service of Peace” by the Mission Directorate. It is an international distinction awarded by the United Nations to members of different countries of the world for their participation in joint international military and police operations.
By the way, the first dispatch of the peacekeepers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs took place in May 1994 to the former Yugoslavia. Since then, more than 3,000 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have participated in peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the UN, the OSCE and the EU, namely in Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Kosovo, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia The Republic of South Sudan, East Timor, Eastern Slavonia, Sudan, Croatia, the Abyssinia Region, Cyprus and the United Nations Secretariat for Peace and Security Operations.
Congratulations to all peacekeepers on a professional holiday! Let the experience gained be the right guide on the way to fulfill the most important mission — to do good and ensure international peace.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
