Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine is the main body in the system of central bodies of exeecutive power that provides formation and realization of the state policy in the sphere of protection the rights and liberties of citizens, unlawful acts against the interest of society and state, fight against crime, providing a civil order, ensuring a ccivil security, traffic safety, security and protection of very important persons. It is a centralised agency headed by a Minister of Internal Affairs.
The generic term for the Ukrainian police (and for police in most of the post-Soviet countries) is militsiya
.
According to Amnesty International
torture and ill-treatment by the militia is widespread in Ukraine. Several militia officers have been arrested for allegedly torturing detainees.
as 'Police', however this is often rendered in English as 'Militsiya' in order to match the original Ukrainian. The force's full name is the same as that of the ministry with which it is linked, Міністерство внутрішніх справ України which translated as 'Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine', however, the full official title of the force is rarely used in speech. On occasion the initials МВС (MVS) may be used to refer to the force.
An individual officer is typically called a (militsiyoner) (plural ) (militsiyonery); these are not, however, official titles and are not included in the official rank structure, they are simply terms used to refer to any militsiya officer regardless of the rank they may hold. A police station
is known as (viddilennya militsyii) which translates more or less into English as 'police department'. The term (Upravlinnya MVS) refers to a regional or national police command post.
On the whole, officers' individual ranks are not used by the general public and thus when addressing an officer, it is common to hear the term (female - ), Ukrainian for mister/miss used to refer to police officers. On occasion, this may or may not be followed by the term (Ofitser).
Minikh
the units of landmilitia were renamed into the Ukrainian Militia Corps that was accounted for 20 cavalry regiments. Since 1762 when the Emperor Peter III
ordered the corps to be called simply the Ukrainian, the word landmilitia fell out of use. In 1770 the Ukrainian Corps was merged with the Russian regular army, however, the special tax that was paid by the population of Ukraine for the landmilitia upkeep
was liquidated only in the beginning of 19th century.
NKVD
's branch in Ukrainian SSR
- the "NKVD of the UkrSSR", which was later reformed into the "Ministry of Internal Affairs of UkrSSR" (Ministerstvo vnutrishnikh sprav Ukrayins'koyi SSR). 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
investigations regarding statesmen of higher levels or other politics-related issues), including deployment of detective brigades from central offices in case of need. TheMilitsiya 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:
The Militsiya of Soviet Ukraine, at times, played part in politically motivated repressions against residents of the Ukrainian SSR. These crimes included the fabrication of charges against Ukrainian dissident
s (such as Vyacheslav Chornovil
), tackling occasional mass protests against Soviet rule and in those promoting religion, and the direct persecution of some marginal 'unacceptable' social and religious groups.
(appointed by the President unilaterally), also a formal member of Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers
. Before the Orange Revolution
, only militsiya Generals (not civil statesmen), were appointed Ministers.
The Ukrainian militsiya has a significant record of law violation and human rights abuse. The most notorious case is the agency's involvement in the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze 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
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 Orange Revolution
, 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. 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") by the Minister. (Orly here it is not a proper name, but a traditional Russian
common name
for brave and skillful soldiers). Since then, the phrase "Orly of Kravchenko", became a symbol of lawlessness and brutality in Ukrainian law enforcement.
In 2000-2001, the MVS was trying to tackle Ukraine without Kuchma
(Ukrainian abbreviation: UBK) mass protest campaign against President
Leonid Kuchma
, using various methods: from direct attacks to the infiltration of provocateurs. The final confrontation took place on March 9, 2001 on the central streets of Kiev
, including clashes between protesters and anti-riot units, and mass arrests of youngsters in the city.
During the 2004 election
and the Orange Revolution
, 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
, 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
that occurred at polling station
s.
In February 2005, after the revolution, as part of the post-election democratic changes, President
Viktor Yushchenko
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
, Lutsenko participated in several protest campaigns and conflicts with the militsiya. The new minister demanded resignations from those officers involved in racketeering. Thus, taking a significant step towards the establishment of civil
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 Leonid Kuchma
in a privatization
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
and appointed by the Verkhovna Rada
(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
and appointed by parliament.
On December 1, 2006, Verkhovna Rada dismissed Lutsenko and appointed Vasyl Tsushko
of the Socialist Party
as the new Minister. Like his predecessor, Tsushko was also a civil politician (and previously a vineyard
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 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
succeeded him in November 2011.
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 criticized both the decree and the subsequent troop movements. Luckily, 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
.
On October 10, 2008 officers from the Security Service of Ukraine detained deputy platoon commander of the Kharkiv
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.
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The minister of Internal Affairs is responsible directly to the Prime Minister of Ukraine
, to the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada
) and ultimately the President of Ukraine
. His office is located in Kiev's Pechersk District.
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! colspan="1" | Cadet Officers
! colspan="1" | Private Officers
! colspan="7" | Non-commissioned Officers
|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
| Shoulder insignia
for every day uniform
|
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|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
| Rank
| Cadet
of militsiya
| Private
of militsiya
| Corporal
of militsiya
| Junior sergeant
of militsiya
| Sergeant
of militsiya
| Senior sergeant
of militsiya
| Starshina
of militsiya
| Praporshchik
of militsiya
| Senior praporshchik
of militsiya
|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
{| width="100%" style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#FFFFFF; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
|}
{| width="75%" style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#FFFFFF; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!
! colspan="4" | Junior Commissioned Officers
! colspan="3" | Senior Commissioned Officers
! colspan="4" | General Officers
|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
| Shoulder insignia
for every day uniform
|
|
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|- align="center" valign="center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
| Rank
|Junior lieutenant
of militsiya
|Lieutenant
of militsiya
|Senior lieutenant
of militsiya
|Captain of
militsiya
|Major of
militsiya
|Lieutenant colonel
of militsiya
|Colonel
of militsiya
|Major General
of militsiya
|Lieutenant General
of militsiya
|Colonel General
of militsiya
|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
|}
The following is the list of the main departments of the Ministry. In bold are identified departments headed by a deputy minister.
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
Deputy Minister - Chief of Criminal Militsiya (consists of at least nine subordinated departments)
Deputy Minister - Chief of Militsiya of Civil Security
Deputy Minister - Chief of HSU
Deputy Minister - Chief of Staff (several independent departments and directorates which are primarily for administrative support)
Deputy Minister
Deputy Minister
Deputy Minister - Chief of MVS in Crimea
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Service uniform sleeve insignia for uniformed officers
|-
|Branch||Criminal||Traffic||Public Order||State Security Service||Berkut
|-
|Insignia||||||||||
|}
There are also three independent supporting agencies:
) - 3 Individual Police: (UNFICYP
) - 1 Individual Police Kosovo
: (UNMIK
) - 1 Individual Police: (UNMIL
) - 19 Individual Police: (UNMIS
) - 19 Individual Police: (UNMIT) - 10 Individual Police: (UNOCI
) - 4 Individual Police
The generic term for the Ukrainian police (and for police in most of the post-Soviet countries) is militsiya
Militsiya
Militsiya or militia is used as an official name of the civilian police in several former communist states, despite its original military connotation...
.
According to Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
torture and ill-treatment by the militia is widespread in Ukraine. Several militia officers have been arrested for allegedly torturing detainees.
Terminology
The force's name, мiлiцiя, translates roughly into the English languageEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as 'Police', however this is often rendered in English as 'Militsiya' in order to match the original Ukrainian. The force's full name is the same as that of the ministry with which it is linked, Міністерство внутрішніх справ України which translated as 'Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine', however, the full official title of the force is rarely used in speech. On occasion the initials МВС (MVS) may be used to refer to the force.
An individual officer is typically called a (militsiyoner) (plural ) (militsiyonery); these are not, however, official titles and are not included in the official rank structure, they are simply terms used to refer to any militsiya officer regardless of the rank they may hold. A police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
is known as (viddilennya militsyii) which translates more or less into English as 'police department'. The term (Upravlinnya MVS) refers to a regional or national police command post.
On the whole, officers' individual ranks are not used by the general public and thus when addressing an officer, it is common to hear the term (female - ), Ukrainian for mister/miss used to refer to police officers. On occasion, this may or may not be followed by the term (Ofitser).
Early history
On February 2, 1713 by the order of Peter I in Ukraine were formed landmilitia out of regiments of the Russian army quartered in Ukraine and specially recruited soldiers to carry out security and guard duties. Since 1722 local cossacks were allowed to join landmilitia. In 1736 by the request of the great Russian military reformer General Field marshalField Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Minikh
Burkhard Christoph von Munnich
Count Burkhard Christoph von Münnich was a Danish-born German soldier-engineer who became a field marshal and political figure in the Russian Empire. He was the major Russian Army reformer and founder of several elite military formations during the reign of Anna of Russia. As a statesman, he is...
the units of landmilitia were renamed into the Ukrainian Militia Corps that was accounted for 20 cavalry regiments. Since 1762 when the Emperor Peter III
Peter III of Russia
Peter III was Emperor of Russia for six months in 1762. He was very pro-Prussian, which made him an unpopular leader. He was supposedly assassinated as a result of a conspiracy led by his wife, who succeeded him to the throne as Catherine II.-Early life and character:Peter was born in Kiel, in...
ordered the corps to be called simply the Ukrainian, the word landmilitia fell out of use. In 1770 the Ukrainian Corps was merged with the Russian regular army, however, the special tax that was paid by the population of Ukraine for the landmilitia upkeep
Upkeep
Upkeep may refer to* Maintenance, repair and operations* A bouncing bomb developed in World War II for Operation Chastise...
was liquidated only in the beginning of 19th century.
MVS in the Soviet Republic of Ukraine
The contemporary Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine originates from the SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
's branch in Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
- the "NKVD of the UkrSSR", which was later reformed into the "Ministry of Internal Affairs of UkrSSR" (Ministerstvo vnutrishnikh sprav Ukrayins'koyi SSR). 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
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
investigations regarding statesmen of higher levels or other politics-related issues), including deployment of detective brigades from central offices in case of need. TheMilitsiya 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 TroopsInternal TroopsThe Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs ; alternatively translated as "Interior " is a paramilitary gendarmerie-like force in the now-defunct Soviet Union and its successor countries, particularly, in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan...
and prison administration (including the Chief Directorate of CampsGulagThe Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
) - Fire and rescue service
The Militsiya of Soviet Ukraine, at times, played part in politically motivated repressions against residents of the Ukrainian SSR. These crimes included the fabrication of charges against Ukrainian dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
s (such as Vyacheslav Chornovil
Vyacheslav Chornovil
Viacheslav Chornovil was a Ukrainian politician. A prominent Ukrainian dissident to the Soviet policies, he was arrested multiple times in the 1960s and 1970s for his political views...
), tackling occasional mass protests against Soviet rule and in those promoting religion, and the direct persecution of some marginal 'unacceptable' social and religious groups.
MVS of independent Ukraine
Post-Independence reformation and the Gongadze case
Since independence and before the 2004 Constitutional Reform, Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs was directly subordinate to the President of UkrainePresident of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
(appointed by the President unilaterally), also a formal member of Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
. Before the Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
, only militsiya Generals (not civil statesmen), were appointed Ministers.
The Ukrainian militsiya has a significant record of law violation and human rights abuse. The most notorious case is the agency's involvement in the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze in 2000. Soon after Gongadze's disappearance, recordings of a Major Melnychenko
Mykola Melnychenko
Mykola Melnychenko was a bodyguard of the former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.Between 1998 and 2000 Melnychenko allegedly recorded numerous conversations that took place in the office of the Ukrainian leader before fleeing abroad with the secretly taped recordings...
were revealed. A fragment of the recorded conversations portrayed MVS Minister Kravchenko
Yuriy Kravchenko
Yuriy Fedorovych Kravchenko , was a Ukrainian police officer and statesman. In 2000, while a Minister of Internal Affairs, Kravchenko became directly involved in the murder case of Georgiy Gongadze and subsequent Cassette Scandal...
promising President Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
to "take care" of the oppositional journalist. According to the recordings, Kravchenko told Kuchma that he controls a special group of high-class detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
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 Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
, 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. 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") by the Minister. (Orly here it is not a proper name, but a traditional Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
for brave and skillful 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 Ukraine without Kuchma
Ukraine without Kuchma
Ukraine without Kuchma! or UbK was a mass protest campaign preceding the Orange Revolution that took place in Ukraine in 2000–2001. Unlike the Orange Revolution the UbK was effectively extinguished by the government enforcement units followed by numerous arrests of the opposition and the...
(Ukrainian abbreviation: UBK) mass protest campaign against President
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
, using various methods: from direct attacks to the infiltration of provocateurs. The final confrontation took place on March 9, 2001 on the central streets of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, including clashes between protesters and anti-riot units, and mass arrests of youngsters in the city.
MVS during the Orange Revolution and since
During the 2004 election
Ukrainian presidential election, 2004
The Ukrainian presidential election, 2004 was held on October 31, November 21 and December 26, 2004. The election was the fourth presidential election to take place in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union...
and the Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
, 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
Berkut (Ukraine)
The "Berkut" is the system of special units of the Ukrainian militsiya within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ukraine's successor of the Soviet OMON. Currently it is considered to be part of the Militsiya of Public Security. Its full name is "Berkut" Separate Special Assignment Unit of...
happened in the city of Chernihiv
Chernihiv
Chernihiv or Chernigov is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast...
, 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
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
that occurred at polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s.
In February 2005, after the revolution, as part of the post-election democratic changes, President
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
appointed Yuriy Lutsenko
Yuriy Lutsenko
Yuriy Vitaliyovych Lutsenko is a Ukrainian politician and statesman and former Minister of Internal Affairs, he occupied this post in the two Cabinets of Yulia Tymoshenko and in Cabinets of Yuriy Yekhanurov, and Viktor Yanukovych...
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
Socialist Party of Ukraine
The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned...
, Lutsenko participated in several protest campaigns and conflicts with the militsiya. The new minister demanded resignations from those officers involved in racketeering. Thus, taking a significant step towards the establishment of civil
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
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 Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
in a privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
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
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
and appointed by the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
(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
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
and appointed by parliament.
On December 1, 2006, Verkhovna Rada dismissed Lutsenko and appointed Vasyl Tsushko
Vasyl Tsushko
Vasyl Petrovych Tsushko is a Ukrainian politician former Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, appointed on quote of the Communist Party, and former Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine....
of the Socialist Party
Socialist Party of Ukraine
The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned...
as the new Minister. Like his predecessor, Tsushko was also a civil politician (and previously a vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
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 to power in 2010. After Yanukovich's election, Anatolii Mohyliov
Anatolii Mohyliov
Anatolii Volodymyrovych Mohyliov is the Prime Minister of Crimea since November 8, 2011 and former Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs.-Biography:...
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 Zakharchenko
Vitaliy Yuriyovych Zakharchenko is since 7 November 2011 the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs-Biography:Police Major General Vitaliy Zakharchenko graduated on the Riga branch of the Minsk Higher School of Interior of the USSR in 1991. He had began his career in the police of the Donetsk...
succeeded him in November 2011.
Recent developments
In May 2007, the on-going political crisis in Ukraine lead to a jurisdictionJurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
dispute over the country's Internal Troops
Internal Troops of Ukraine
The Internal Troops of Ukraine is an uniformed gendarmerie-like forces in Ukraine...
. 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 criticized both the decree and the subsequent troop movements. Luckily, 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
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
.
On October 10, 2008 officers from the Security Service of Ukraine detained deputy platoon commander of the Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
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.
Transportation
The Ukrainian militsiya uses a number of different models of automobile which range greatly in age and technical specification.Patrol Cars
- Lada 1200VAZ-2101The VAZ-2101 is a compact car, sedan, produced by VAZ and introduced in 1970. VAZ had been founded in the mid-1960s as a collaboration between Fiat and the Soviet government, and the 2101 was its first product...
and 110Lada 110The Lada 110 is a Russian sedan car built by AvtoVAZ since 1995. It also spawned two close derivatives - the 111 estate and 112 hatchback... - ZAZ TavriaZAZ TavriaZAZ Tavria is a range of front wheel drive subcompact cars made by Ukrainian ZAZ. ZAZ-1102 Tavria and subsequent ZAZ-1105 Dana and ZAZ-1103 Slavuta replaced rear wheel drive Zaporozhets in the product lineup.-ZAZ-1102 Tavria:...
- Daewoo LanosDaewoo LanosThe Daewoo Lanos is a subcompact car manufactured by the Korean automaker Daewoo Motor from 1997 to 2002. It was manufactured under license agreements from 1997 to 2008 by Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych in Poland, where it was marketed as the FSO Lanos, from 1998 to present in Ukraine by AvtoZAZ,...
- Skoda OctaviaŠkoda OctaviaThe Škoda Octavia is a small family car produced by Czech automaker Škoda Auto since 1996, its name revived from a model originally produced between 1959 and 1971. The current Octavia is available in five-door liftback and station wagon....
- Honda AccordHonda AccordThe Honda Accord is a series of compact, mid-size and full-size automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, and sold in a majority of automotive markets throughout the world....
- Volkswagen PassatVolkswagen PassatThe Volkswagen Passat is a large family car marketed by Volkswagen Passenger Cars through six design generations since 1973. Between the Volkswagen Golf / Volkswagen Jetta and the Volkswagen Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up, the Passat and its derivatives have been badged variously as...
- Mitsubishi LancerMitsubishi LancerThe Mitsubishi Lancer is a family car built by Mitsubishi Motors. It has been known as the Colt Lancer, Dodge/Plymouth Colt, Chrysler Valiant Lancer, Chrysler Lancer, Eagle Summit, Hindustan Lancer, Soueast Lioncel, Mitsubishi Carisma, and Mitsubishi Mirage in various countries at different times,...
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Vans
- GAZelleGAZelleThe GAZelle is a series of mid-sized trucks, vans and buses made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. GAZelles are similar to the later launched GAZ-2215/GAZ-2752 Sobol and GAZ-3310 Valdai line of vans and light trucks...
- UAZ-452UAZ-452UAZ-452 UAZ-452 UAZ-452 («Bukhanka»("Loaf (of bread)"), "Tabletka"("Pill"), "Golovastik" ("Tadpole") is a family of unique off-road cars produced at the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant.Serial production of the UAZ-452 started in 1965. The engine is from the GAZ-21....
- GAZ-3302GAZelleThe GAZelle is a series of mid-sized trucks, vans and buses made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. GAZelles are similar to the later launched GAZ-2215/GAZ-2752 Sobol and GAZ-3310 Valdai line of vans and light trucks...
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Ministers of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
The Ministry of Internal Affairs is headed by a minister who is also, incidentally, recognised as head of the national (state) police service, the militsiya. As a result of this system, many former ministers have previously had experience of serving in the police, and many were, prior to taking up their posts, generals of the militsiya. Typically the minister of internal affairs afforded the rank of Colonel General of Militsiya upon taking up his post in the Ukrainian Cabinet. To this date Yuriy Lutsenko and Vasyl Tsushko are the only former holders of the office who had never served in any of the Ukrainian or, earlier, Soviet law enforcement agencies.| Name | From | Until | President | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andriy Vasylyshyn | August 24, 1991 | July 21, 1994 | Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a... |
First post-independence minister |
| Volodymyr Radchenko | July 28, 1994 | July 3, 1995 | Leonid Kuchma Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk... |
Acting July 21-28, 1994 |
| Yuriy Kravchenko Yuriy Kravchenko Yuriy Fedorovych Kravchenko , was a Ukrainian police officer and statesman. In 2000, while a Minister of Internal Affairs, Kravchenko became directly involved in the murder case of Georgiy Gongadze and subsequent Cassette Scandal... |
July 3, 1995 | March 26, 2001 | Leonid Kuchma Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk... |
Involved in 'Eagles of Kravchenko' case |
| Yuriy Smirnov | March 26, 2001 | August 27, 2003 | Leonid Kuchma Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk... |
|
| Mykola Bilokin | August 27, 2003 | February 3, 2005 | Leonid Kuchma Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk... |
|
| Yuriy Lutsenko Yuriy Lutsenko Yuriy Vitaliyovych Lutsenko is a Ukrainian politician and statesman and former Minister of Internal Affairs, he occupied this post in the two Cabinets of Yulia Tymoshenko and in Cabinets of Yuriy Yekhanurov, and Viktor Yanukovych... |
February 4, 2005 | December 1, 2006 | Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution... |
First civilian minister |
| Vasyl Tsushko Vasyl Tsushko Vasyl Petrovych Tsushko is a Ukrainian politician former Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, appointed on quote of the Communist Party, and former Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.... |
December 1, 2006 | December 18, 2007 | Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution... |
First minister never directly subordinate to the president |
| Yuriy Lutsenko Yuriy Lutsenko Yuriy Vitaliyovych Lutsenko is a Ukrainian politician and statesman and former Minister of Internal Affairs, he occupied this post in the two Cabinets of Yulia Tymoshenko and in Cabinets of Yuriy Yekhanurov, and Viktor Yanukovych... |
December 18, 2007 | January 28, 2010 | Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution... |
Acting January 28-March 11, 2010 |
| Anatoliy Mohyliov | March 11, 2010 | November 7, 2011 | Viktor Yanukovich | First post-Orange revolution minister |
| Vitaliy Zakharchenko Vitaliy Zakharchenko Vitaliy Yuriyovych Zakharchenko is since 7 November 2011 the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs-Biography:Police Major General Vitaliy Zakharchenko graduated on the Riga branch of the Minsk Higher School of Interior of the USSR in 1991. He had began his career in the police of the Donetsk... |
November 7, 2011 | Viktor Yanukovich | Former head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine | |
The minister of Internal Affairs is responsible directly to the Prime Minister of Ukraine
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
, to the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
) and ultimately the President of Ukraine
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
. His office is located in Kiev's Pechersk District.
Rank structure
{| width="75%" style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#FFFFFF; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!
! colspan="1" | Cadet Officers
! colspan="1" | Private Officers
! colspan="7" | Non-commissioned Officers
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| Shoulder insignia
for every day uniform
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| Rank
| Cadet
of militsiya
| Private
of militsiya
| Corporal
of militsiya
| Junior sergeant
of militsiya
| Sergeant
of militsiya
| Senior sergeant
of militsiya
| Starshina
of militsiya
| Praporshchik
Praporshchik
Praporshchik is a rank in the Russian military.-Imperial Russia:Praporshchik was originally a name of a junior commissioned officer rank in the military of the Russian Empire equivalent to ensign...
of militsiya
| Senior praporshchik
of militsiya
|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
{| width="100%" style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#FFFFFF; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
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{| width="75%" style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#FFFFFF; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!
! colspan="4" | Junior Commissioned Officers
! colspan="3" | Senior Commissioned Officers
! colspan="4" | General Officers
|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
| Shoulder insignia
for every day uniform
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| Rank
|Junior lieutenant
of militsiya
|Lieutenant
of militsiya
|Senior lieutenant
of militsiya
|Captain of
militsiya
|Major of
militsiya
|Lieutenant colonel
of militsiya
|Colonel
of militsiya
|Major General
of militsiya
|Lieutenant General
of militsiya
|Colonel General
of militsiya
|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
|}
Structure
Ministry has 30 departments and three agencies that are subordinated to it. Minister has up to eight deputies (other than his first deputy) that head the main departments of the ministry.The following is the list of the main departments of the Ministry. In bold are identified departments headed by a deputy minister.
Departments of the Militsiya
The Following are 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 organized crime (HUBOZ)
- Internal Security Service of HUBOZ
- Working office of the Ukrainian Bureau of Interpol (special department, formerly part of Criminal Militsiya)
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's 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
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|Branch||Criminal||Traffic||Public Order||State Security Service||Berkut
|-
|Insignia||||||||||
|}
Other departments of the ministry
There are a number of other departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs which are not directly related to the ministry's role as a civilian law enforcement agency. These are:- GUVV - Chief Directorate of Internal TroopsInternal Troops of UkraineThe Internal Troops of Ukraine is an uniformed gendarmerie-like forces in Ukraine...
(special militarized department) - Control-revisionary directorate
- Sub-Department of special communication
- Department of documentary service and scheduling
There are also three independent supporting agencies:
- State scientific-researching institute and higher educational institutions (supporting the Chief of Staff)
Educational institutions of the Ministry
Each university and institute often also has its own base program- Academy of Management
- Kiev National University of Interior
- Kharkiv National University of Interior
- Kirovohrad campus (Legal institute)
- Kherson campus (Legal institute)
- Sumy city affiliation
- Dnipropetrovsk State University of Interior
- Zaporizhia campus (Legal institute)
- Kryvyi Rih department
- Zaporizhia campus (Legal institute)
- Luhansk State University of Interior of Didorenko
- Donetsk campus (Legal institute) contains a scientifically-researching center of psycho-training technologies
- Lviv State University of Interior
- Prykarpattya campus (Legal institute)
- Odessa State University of Interior
- Crimea campus (Legal institute)
Deployment outside Ukraine
Deployments in various UN missions as of November 2009:: (MONUCUnited Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO , is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which was established by the United Nations Security Council in resolutions 1279...
) - 3 Individual Police: (UNFICYP
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus was established in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions...
) - 1 Individual Police Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
: (UNMIK
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo or UNMIK is the interim civilian administration in Kosovo, under the authority of the United Nations. The mission was established on 10 June 1999 by Security Council Resolution 1244...
) - 1 Individual Police: (UNMIL
United Nations Mission in Liberia
The United Nations Mission in Liberia is a peace-keeping force established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the Second Liberian Civil War....
) - 19 Individual Police: (UNMIS
United Nations Mission in Sudan
The United Nations Mission in the Sudan was established by the UN Security Council under Resolution 1590 of 24 March 2005, in response to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of the Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement on January 9, 2005 in Nairobi,...
) - 19 Individual Police: (UNMIT) - 10 Individual Police: (UNOCI
United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire
The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire is a peacekeeping mission whose objective is "to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003"...
) - 4 Individual Police
Further reading
- Full collection of laws of the Russian Empire since 1649. Vol.5. Saint Petersburg, 1830. page 13. (Полное собрание законов Российской империи с 1649 г. - Спб., 1830. - Т. 5. - С. 13)
See also
- Berkut (Ukrainian police)
- Prosecutor General of UkraineProsecutor General of UkraineThe Prosecutor General of Ukraine heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine...
- Security Service of Ukraine
- Internal Troops of UkraineInternal Troops of UkraineThe Internal Troops of Ukraine is an uniformed gendarmerie-like forces in Ukraine...
Other references
- How Top Spies in Ukraine Changed the Nation's Path by K.J.Chivers of the New York Times
- How the Gongadze Case Has Been Investigated (June 2005 Ukrayinska PravdaUkrayinska PravdaUkrayinska Pravda is a popular Ukrainian internet newspaper, founded by Georgiy R. Gongadze in April, 2000...
article on the history of the Gongadze Case investigation) - The Key Witness in the Gongadze Case Dead (March 2005 Ukrayinska PravdaUkrayinska PravdaUkrayinska Pravda is a popular Ukrainian internet newspaper, founded by Georgiy R. Gongadze in April, 2000...
article on the death of Kravchenko, analysing also his role in the Gongadze case - includes fragments of the Melnychenko recordings)