The Militsiya (, ) was a type of domestic

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...

(''

militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, 3=mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə, 5=, ) were the police forces in the Soviet Union until 1991, in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), and in the Non-Aligned Movement, non-aligned Socialist Federal Republic ...

'') that existed in various forms in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

from 1919 until 2015. The Militsiya was originally formed while Ukraine was governed by the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

, part of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, and it continued to serve as a national

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

service in

post-Soviet The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

Ukraine until it was replaced by the

National Police of Ukraine The National Police of Ukraine (, ; /NPU ), often simply referred to as the (), is the national, and only, police service of Ukraine. It was formed on 3 July 2015, as part of the post-Euromaidan reforms launched by Ukrainian president Petro Por ...

on 7 November 2015. The Militsiya was under the direct control of the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

(known by the Ukrainian acronym MVS and by the

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

acronym MVD), and it was widely seen as corrupt and inconsiderable to the demands of the Ukrainian public. During

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

, the Militsiya was accused of brutality against protestors as well as kidnapping Automaidan activists, leading to the reputation of the Militsiya being irreversibly damaged. This resulted in its replacement under the post-Maidan Poroshenko presidency.

History

Militsiya in Soviet Ukraine

The contemporary

Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (; ; ) is the Ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian government that oversees the interior affairs of Ukraine. History Name *People's Committee of Internal ...

originates from the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

's branch in

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

- the "NKVD of the UkrSSR", which was later reformed into the "Ministry of Internal Affairs of UkrSSR" (). Both agencies were merely a regional branch of the all-Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs, and essentially a ''militsiya'' force since the late 1950s. Despite some operational autonomy, all regulations and standards of policing were established by the central Ministry; Moscow was directly co-ordinating important operations in Ukraine (such as anti-

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

investigations regarding statesmen of higher levels or other politics-related issues), including deployment of detective brigades from central offices in case of need. The ''Militsiya'' of the Ukrainian SSR used the same ranks, insignia and vehicle liveries as the rest of the Soviet ''militsiya''. Like all the Soviet Ministries of Internal Affairs, the Ukrainian SSR MVS included not only the ''militsiya'', but also the republican branch of non-police services, such as: *Passport and registration offices * Internal Troops and prison administration (including the Chief Directorate of Camps) *Fire and rescue service

Militsiya and political repression in Soviet Ukraine

MVS of the Ukrainian SSR has been directly involved in Soviet political repressions in Ukraine at all stages. Since the splitting of the NKVD and detachment of the

secret police image:Putin-Stasi-Ausweis.png, 300px, Vladimir Putin's secret police identity card, issued by the East German Stasi while he was working as a Soviet KGB liaison officer from 1985 to 1989. Both organizations used similar forms of repression. Secre ...

to the MGB-

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

, the ''militsiya'' became a secondary instrument of repression in the hands of the KGB, fulfilling such tasks as: *conducting fabricated charges of non-political crimes against Ukrainian

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 2 ...

s (like Vyacheslav Chornovil) *tackling occasional mass protests against Soviet rule *maintaining the propiska regime *participation in ethnic-related repressions and restrictions *assisting in the persecution of

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

*direct persecution of

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

s and various restricted cultural movements (like

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

ers,

punks Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, bikers,

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

students etc.)

Militsiya in independent Ukraine

Post-Independence reformation and the Gongadze case

After independence in 1991, and before the 2004 Constitutional Reform, Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs was directly subordinate to the

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

(appointed by the President unilaterally), also a formal member of Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers. Before the

Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...

, only Generals of the ''militsiya'' (not civil statesmen), were appointed Ministers. During its existence, the Ukrainian ''militsiya'', particularly the post-independence form of the ''militsiya'', had a significant record of law violation and human rights abuse. One of the most notorious cases of human rights abuse, before the agency’s later involvement in

in 2013-2014, was the agency's involvement in the murder of journalist

Georgiy Gongadze Georgiy Ruslanovych Gongadze (21 May 1969 – 17 September 2000) was a Ukrainian journalist who was kidnapped and murdered in 2000 near Kyiv. He founded the online newspaper ''Ukrainska Pravda'' along with Olena Prytula in 2000. He was born i ...

in 2000. Soon after Gongadze's disappearance, recordings of a Major Melnychenko were revealed. A fragment of the recorded conversations portrayed MVS Minister Kravchenko promising President Kuchma to "take care" of the oppositional journalist. According to the recordings, Kravchenko told Kuchma that he controls a special group of high-class

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

s "without any morals, and ready to do anything". The decapitated and disfigured body of Gongadze was found later in a forest, and a long-lasting investigation started. In 2005, soon after the

, the first results of the case appeared. Three members of the MVS detective squad were charged with the abduction and murder of Gongadze. An international warrant was issued for their chief, General Oleksiy Pukach, who was supposedly hiding abroad.Ukraine Ex-Minister Ordered Journalist's Murder
Voice of America News.com (15 September 2010) In March 2005, ex-Minister Kravchenko, the main participant of the case, was found shot in the head (supposedly by his own hand). Later, in September 2010, Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General issued a statement stating that prosecutors had concluded that Kravchenko had ordered Pukach to carry out the murder, and stating that Pukach had confessed to the murder. In the Melnychen recordings, the hitmen group was called "orly” (, literally "eagles",

: орлы) by the Minister. (Note'': Orly'' here it is not a proper name, but a traditional

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

for brave and skilful soldiers). Since then, the phrase "Orly of Kravchenko", became a symbol of lawlessness and brutality in Ukrainian law enforcement.

MVS and the UBK campaign

In 2000-2001, the MVS was trying to tackle the

Ukraine without Kuchma "Ukraine without Kuchma" (; ''Ukrayina bez Kuchmy'', Russian: Украина без Кучмы, UBK) was a mass protest campaign that took place in Ukraine in 2000–2001, demanding the resignation of President Leonid Kuchma, and preceding the ...

(Ukrainian and Russian abbreviation: UBK) mass protest campaign against

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma (, ; born 9 August 1938) is a Ukrainian politician who was the second president of Ukraine, serving from 19 July 1994 to 23 January 2005. The only president of Ukraine to serve two terms, his presidency was marked by demo ...

, using various methods: from direct attacks to the infiltration of provocateurs. The final confrontation took place on 9 March 2001 on the central streets of

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, including clashes between protesters and anti-riot units, and mass arrests of youngsters in the city.

MVS during the Orange Revolution and later years

During the 2004 election and the

, the MVS did not confront the opposition protests, although media sources claim that respective orders were given to its anti-riot units by senior commanders and leaders of the country. Minor clashes between protesters and the '' Berkut'' happened in the city of

Chernihiv Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukraine ...

, but both sides agreed that they were incidental and provoked by unknown forces. The opposition also accused the ''militsiya'' of involvement in attempted

electoral fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...

that occurred at

polling station A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English, British English and Canadian English although a polling place is the building and polling station is the specific ...

s. In February 2005, after the revolution, as part of the post-election democratic changes,

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards Western world, the West, European Union, and N ...

appointed Yuriy Lutsenko as the new Minister of Internal Affairs. Unlike his predecessors, Lutsenko was a career politician and had never served in the ''militsiya'' or any other law enforcement agency. Moreover, as one of the main figures in the

Socialist Party of Ukraine The Socialist Party of Ukraine (, abbreviated SPU) was a social democratic and democratic socialist Political parties in Ukraine, political party in Ukraine. It was one of the oldest parties in Ukraine and was created by former members of the Sov ...

, Lutsenko participated in several protest campaigns and conflicts with the ''militsiya''. The new minister demanded resignations from those officers involved in

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercion, coercive, fraud, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. ...

. Thus, taking a significant step towards the establishment of

civil Civil may refer to: *Civility, orderly behavior and politeness *Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society *Civil (journalism) ''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It lau ...

control over the Ukrainian militia. In January 2006, Minister Lutsenko admitted that the MVS is in possession of the evidence that would allow them to question and charge ex-President

in a

privatisation Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...

wrongdoing case, if only the MVS had the authority for starting such a case autonomously. Later, according to 2004 constitutional amendments that took effect after the 2006 parliamentary elections, the minister is now nominated by the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and appointed by the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

(parliament), without formal influence of the President. Thus Yuriy Lutsenko, the Minister at the time, who was previously appointed under the old procedure, was reappointed, thereby becoming the first-ever MVS Minister to be agreed upon by the parliamentary

coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

and appointed by parliament. On 1 December 2006, Verkhovna Rada dismissed Lutsenko and appointed Vasyl Tsushko of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

as the new Minister. Like his predecessor, Tsushko was also a civil politician (and previously a

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

manager), not connected to the ''militsiya'' before his appointment. Additionally, Tsushko was the first-ever MVS Minister not subordinated to the President. However, in 2007 Lutsenko returned to the post of minister and remained there until the elections which brought

Viktor Yanukovich Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

to power in 2010. After Yanukovich's election, Anatolii Mohyliov was appointed to the minister's position; he is a career militia officer and currently holds the rank of Colonel General of the militsiya.

Vitaliy Zakharchenko Vitaliy Yuriyovych Zakharchenko (, Russian: Виталий Юрьевич Захарченко, born 20 January 1963) is a Ukrainian and Russian politician who is a senior consultant at Russia's Rostec state corporation. He previously served as ...

succeeded him in November 2011. In May 2007, the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine lead to a

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...

dispute over the country's Internal Troops. Following minor political clashes involving the ''militsiya'' and presidential security forces, President Viktor Yuschenko issued a decree re-subordinating Internal Troops from the Ministry of Internal Affairs directly to the President. The MVS criticised both the decree and the subsequent troop movements. Both sides in the political crisis managed to avoid further clashes between law enforcers. Now the Internal Troops, as well as all ''militsiya'' units, returned to their routine tasks and re-established practical co-ordination. However, the legal dispute over Internal Troops remains unsolved. The Troops command declares its subordination to the President - according to the decree which is currently being appealed in court by the

Cabinet of Ministers A cabinet in governing is a group of people with the constitutional or legal task to rule a country or state, or advise a head of state, usually from the executive branch. Their members are known as ministers and secretaries and they are ...

. On 10 October 2008 officers from the

Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( ; abbreviated as SBU [] or SSU) is the main Internal security, internal security agency of the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian government. Its main duties include counter-intelligence activity and combati ...

detained deputy platoon commander of the

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

city division patrol and inspection service regiment of the Main Interior Affairs Ministry Directorate in Kharkiv region on suspicion of pushing narcotic drugs. According to head of the trade union of attested employees of law enforcement agencies Anatolii Onyschuk, sociologic research shows that 3.9% of the Ukrainian militiamen trust the state, while 67.7% distrusted the state.

2015 disbandment

Following reforms initiated by Ukrainian president

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

in the aftermath of the

2014 Ukrainian revolution The Revolution of Dignity (), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capit ...

, on 3 July 2015 the

started to replace militsiya. Officially the National Police replaced the militsiya on 7 November 2015.Law on national police enacted in Ukraine

Interfax-Ukraine Interfax-Ukraine () is a Ukrainian news agency. Founded in 1992, the company publishes in Ukrainian, Russian, English and German. The company owns a 50-seat press centre. The staff of the agency is 105 people (as of the end of February 2022) ...

(7 November 2015)
Avakov told how the militsiya will become police

Korrespondent.net The ''Korrespondent.net'' ( ; ; literally: ''Correspondent'') is an online newspaper in Ukraine launched in 2000. It is a sister project to the ''Korrespondent'' printed weekly magazine also containing the latter's reduced free online version. ''K ...

(4 November 2015) On that day the remaining militsiya officers were assigned as "temporarily

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

" National Police officers. They were eligible for recruitment as National Police officers if they met the age criteria and went through training again and after "integrity" checks.

Departments

The following were the constituent departments of the militsiya: ; Leadership (consisting of the minister and his first deputy) ; Office of Ministry (Department in monitoring of human rights in activities of OVS) ; Advisers to the MVS ; Deputy Minister - Chief of HUBOZ * Chief Department in the fight against the organised crime (HUBOZ) * Internal Security Service of HUBOZ ; Deputy Minister - Chief of Criminal Militsiya (consists of at least nine subordinated departments) ; Deputy Minister - Chief of Militsiya of Civil Security * Department of Civil Security * Department of the State Auto Inspection (DAI) * Department of Veterinary Militsiya in conducting quarantine in veterinary events * Department of State Security Service (formerly part of Militsiya of civil security, it is currently a separate department) * Department of transportation militsiya ; Deputy Minister - Chief of HSU * Chief Detection Department * Department of Investigation (Inquiry) * State Science-Research Expert-Criminal Center ; Deputy Minister - Chief of Staff (several independent departments and directorates which are primarily for administrative support) ; Deputy Minister * Department of public relationship and international activity * State Department on issues of citizenship, immigration, and registration of physical persons ; Deputy Minister * Supporting departments ; Deputy Minister - Chief of MVS in Crimea

Rank hierarchy

Service medals

File:Медаль «Ветеран служби» (МВСУ).png, 25 years in service File:UKR-MIA – 20 Years Of Honest Service Medal-2013.PNG, 20 years in service File:UKR-MIA – 15 Years Of Honest Service Medal-2013.PNG, 15 years in service File:UKR-MIA – 10 Years Of Honest Service Medal-2013.PNG, 10 years in service

Transport

CORD ukrainian special police Varta APC 6

The militsiya used many different forms of transport, which ranged greatly in age and technical specification.

Patrol fleet at disbandment

File:Police_and_Pushkin.jpg, Older

VAZ-2106 The VAZ-2106 Zhiguli (alternatively Zhiguli 2106) is a sedan (automobile), sedan produced by the Soviet Union, Soviet (later Russian) automaker VAZ, and later, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, also by Russian Lada Izhevsk, Izhevsk Avto and U ...

police car in

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

File:Kharkov_Milicia_VAZ_2109.JPG, Older VAZ-2109 police car in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

File:%D0%94%D0%9F%D0%A1_%D0%A5%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2_2014.JPG, Older VAZ-2110 road police car in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

File:DPS_Kharkov.JPG,

Volkswagen Passat The Volkswagen Passat is a nameplate of D-segment, large family cars (D-segment) manufactured and marketed by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen since 1973 and also marketed variously as the Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Magotan, Corsar ...

B4 File:DPS_Kharkov_Volkswagen_2011.jpg,

B5 File:DPS_Pesochin.JPG,

Skoda Octavia Škoda means "pity" in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to: Czech brands and enterprises * Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav ** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...

road police car File:Mitsubishi Lancer Eighth Generation - Police car, Kiev, Ukraine.JPG,

Mitsubishi Lancer The Mitsubishi Lancer is an automobile that was produced by the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors from 1973 until 2024. The Lancer has been marketed as the Colt Lancer, Dodge Colt, Plymouth Colt, Chrysler Valiant Lancer, Chrysler Lancer, ...

police car File:2011._%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C_%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%89%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%8B_%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B9_%D0%B2_%D0%94%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%86%D0%BA%D0%B5_086.jpg,

Toyota Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Cam ...

police car File:%D0%A3%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F.jpg, Older UAZ-469 police SUV File:Deribasivska_St.,_17_(left)_-_1.jpg, Renault Duster police SUV File:Kharkov_DTP.JPG, Kia Pregio police van File:Рено_Кангу_МВД_Харьков.JPG,

Renault Kangoo The Renault Kangoo is a family of vans built by Renault since 1997 across three generations. It is sold as a passenger multi-purpose vehicle or as a light commercial vehicle. For the European market, the Kangoo is manufactured at the MCA plant i ...

police car File:GAZ_Sobol_Road_Police_2012_G1.jpg, GAZ Sobol police van

Deployment outside Ukraine

Deployments in various UN missions prior to disbandment in 2015: * : (

MONUC The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or MONUSCO (an acronym based on its French name ), is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A planned withdraw ...

) - 3 policemenUN Mission's Contributions by Country for November 2009
/ref> * : ( UNFICYP) - 1 policeman * : (

UNMIK The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Привремена административна мисија Уједињених нација на Косову, Privremena administrativna misija Ujedinjenih na ...

) - 1 policeman * : (

UNMIL The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the ...

) - 19 policemen * : ( UNMIS) - 19 policemen * : (

UNMIT The United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor (UNMIT) was established on 25 August 2006 by UN Security Council Resolution 1704. Its objectives are "to support the Government in consolidating stability, enhancing a culture of democratic ...

) - 10 policemen * : ( UNOCI) - 4 policemen

Issues

According to

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

, torture and ill-treatment by the militsiya was widespread in

.Ukrainian Police-Abuse Protests Come To The Capital

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

(17 July 2013)Ukraine: Victims of police brutality
,

Amnesty International USA Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is an American non-profit non-governmental organization that is part of the worldwide Amnesty International organization. Amnesty International is an organization of more than 7 million supporters, activists and ...

(27 September 2005)Amnesty International: Ukrainian police told not to touch foreign fans during Euro 2012

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is Ukraine’s first and most prominent English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1995 in Kyiv by American businessman Jed Sunden. In 2018, the publication was acquired by prominent Ukrainian businessman Adnan Kivan, foun ...

(4 July 2012) This allegation was confirmed by

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

in December 2011.Yanukovych calling for greater control over detention facilities
''

'' (15 December 2011) Several militia officers were arrested in 2010 for allegedly torturing detainees.Ukrainian Police Arrested For Alleged Torture

(1 April 2010) Some militsiya in Ukraine worked as racketeers and debt collectors.''The Chernihiv entrepreneur was abducted, beaten, and extorted for money''. News television program "Vikna" ( S-TV). 28 January 2013 Overall the level of trust in the militsiya and other law enforcement bodies was low. In a 2012 poll, the police were positively assessed by 26%, and negatively by 64%.Nations in Transit 2013: Ukraine

Freedom House Freedom House is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. It is best known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy, Freedom (political), political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, wi ...

(2012) In 2013, the militsiya received the highest percentage among Ukrainians of having given a

bribe Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official duty, to act contrar ...

to with 49%.Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer: Ukraine has become more corrupt over the last two years

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' (, ) is an illustrated weekly magazine and news outlet covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides a range of analysis, opinion, interviews, feature p ...

(9 July 2013) Simultaneously they considered (with 64%) its police as the second most

corrupt Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

sphere in the country.

Notes

References

{{Commons category-inline, Militsiya of Ukraine Defunct law enforcement agencies of Ukraine Government agencies disestablished in 2015 1917 establishments in Ukraine 2015 disestablishments in Ukraine

Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine)