The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine ( uk, Міністерство внутрішніх справ України, Ministerstvo vnutrishnikh sprav Ukrainy, MVS) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the interior affairs of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

. The ministry carries out state policy for the protection of rights and liberties of citizens, investigates unlawful acts against the interest of society and state, fights crime, provides civil order, ensures civil security and traffic safety, and guarantees the security and protection of important individuals. It is a centralised agency headed by the

Minister of Internal Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

. The ministry works closely with the office of the

General Prosecutor of Ukraine The prosecutor general of Ukraine (also procurator general of Ukraine, uk, Генеральний прокурор України) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General ( uk, Офіс ...

. It oversees the National Police of UkraineNational Police established in Ukraine
Interfax Ukraine (2 September 2015) (

police service The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

), National Guard of Ukraine (

gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

), the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (

civil defense Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mit ...

), State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (and its subordinate the

Ukrainian Sea Guard The Ukrainian Sea Guard ( uk, Морська охорона, Morska okhorona; full name uk, Морська охорона Державної прикордонної служби України, , Sea Guard of the State Border Guard Service of ...

) and the State Migration Service (

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

service). Formerly, the ministry directly controlled the Ukrainian national law enforcement agency, termed the ''

militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, , mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə) was the name of the police forces in the Soviet Union (until 1991) and in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), as well as in the non-aligned SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992). The ...

'' ( uk, міліція, Russian: милиция). This changed in July 2015, in the aftermath of

Euromaidan Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhno ...

, with the introduction of reforms by Ukrainian president

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko se ...

to reduce corruption, whereby the ''militsiya'' was replaced with the National Police. Ukraine's ''militsiya'' was widely regarded as corrupt,Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer: Ukraine has become more corrupt over the last two years

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' ( uk, Український Тиждень, translit=Ukrainskyi Tyzhden) is an illustrated weekly magazine covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides ...

(9 July 2013) and it had received accusations of torture and ill-treatment.Ukraine: Victims of police brutality
, Amnesty International USA (September 27, 2005)Amnesty International: Ukrainian police told not to touch foreign fans during Euro 2012

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden. History American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...

(4 July 2012)Yanukovych calling for greater control over detention facilities

(15 December 2011)Ukrainian Police Arrested For Alleged Torture

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

(April 1, 2010)Ukrainian Police-Abuse Protests Come To The Capital

(17 July 2013) The State Emergency Service was transferred under the jurisdiction of the ministry since 2014.

History

Name

* People's Committee of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR (1919 - 1930, regional autonomous agency) * State Political Directorate of the Ukrainian SSR (1930 - 1934, part of the

Joint State Political Directorate The Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU; russian: Объединённое государственное политическое управление) was the intelligence and state security service and secret police of the Soviet Union f ...

of USSR) * People's Committee of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR (1934 - 1946, part of the People's Committee of Internal Affairs of USSR) * Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR (1946 - 1991, part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of USSR) * Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (since 1991, a government agency of the independent Ukraine)

History of Militsiya

Ministerial institutions

* Central office (in Kyiv)

Sub-departments (central offices of executive authority)

* National Guard of Ukraine * National Police of Ukraine *

Special Tasks Patrol Police The Special Tasks Patrol Police ( uk, Патрульна служба поліції особливого призначення) is a Ukrainian volunteer corps of law enforcement units, part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. It w ...

* State Border Guard Service of Ukraine **

* State Emergency Service of Ukraine * State Migration Service of Ukraine

Supporting institutions

Medical

* Central hospital (in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

) * Hospital of Rehabilitative Treatment (in

) * Military-medical commissions

Educational

* National Academy of Internal Affairs *National Academy of National Guard of Ukraine *Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs *Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs *Didorenko State University of Internal Affairs of Luhansk *Lviv State University of Internal Affairs *Odessa State University of Internal Affairs *Donetsk Justice Institute

Ministers of Internal Affairs

The Minister of Internal Affairs directs the ministry. Prior to the 2015 police reforms, the minister was recognized as head of the

. Many former ministers previously had experience with serving in the police, and many were, prior to taking up the ministerial post, generals of the

. Typically, the minister was afforded the rank of Colonel-General of the militsiya upon taking up his post in the Ukrainian government. Yuriy Lutsenko and Vasyl Tsushko are the only former holders of this office who had never served in any

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LE ...

. The minister of Internal Affairs is responsible directly to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, to the Ukrainian Parliament (

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

) and ultimately the

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

. His office is located in Kyiv's Pechersk District.

References

''How Top Spies in Ukraine Changed the Nation's Path'' by K.J.Chivers of the New York Times

(June 2005 ''

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukrai ...

'' article on the history of the Gongadze Case investigation)
''The Key Witness in the Gongadze Case Dead''
(March 2005 ''

'' article on the death of Kravchenko, analysing also his role in the Gongadze case - includes fragments of the Melnychenko recordings)

External links

Official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine

Ukraine Police Twitter

Overview of MVS' special units

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry Of Internal Affairs (Ukraine) National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Internal Affairs