President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced the newly appointed Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko to the heads of law enforcement agencies, services and departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its structural units.
“The main tasks are trust and respect. So that Ukrainian children trust Ukrainian police officers and want to become police officers, national guards, rescuers, and border guards themselves. So that our citizens respect the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And so that the Offensive Guard, which is currently being formed, becomes a strong element of our Defense and Security Forces,” the Head of State said congratulating Ihor Klymenko on assuming office.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrskyi, who died in a helicopter crash this year in January, was tasked with building trust and respect for the police and all employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Denys Monastyrskyi coped with it.
"Denis and his colleagues did everything they could to accomplish this task. I believe he succeeded. And I thank everyone who helped him in this," the President said.
The attendees honored with a moment of silence the memory of Denys Monastyrskyi and the leadership of the Ministry, as well as the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who died while performing their duties and protecting Ukraine.
According to the Head of State, citizens' trust in the National Police, the National Guard, the State Emergency Service, and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, which are part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has significantly increased.
"In particular, we see this during the formation of new brigades of the Offensive Guard. Respect for the service is one of the important reasons why people really join the ranks of the service," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President expressed confidence that Ihor Klymenko will also cope with the tasks assigned to him in his new position, as he is not only a responsible leader, but also knows all aspects and work directions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"I thank you for serving our country. Thank you for your support. For being at war from the first days of the war. This is a great example," Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.
Ihor Klymenko, for his part, thanked for the trust and noted that he is aware of his personal responsibility for maintaining stability and control over the Ministry of Internal Affairs system in this extremely difficult period of full-scale war for our country.
"This war has deprived people of the most important thing - a sense of security. And our goal is to return peace and tranquility to every Ukrainian home, to bring our people home from abroad. The entire staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs continues to work to make this goal a reality. We really have a lot of work to do," the Minister said.
He also emphasized that strengthening the combat capabilities of the National Guard, the National Police, and the State Border Guard Service is a priority.
"We are already forming the Offensive Guard and need to not only recruit volunteers, but also train them in a short time. We need to form truly combat units that will strengthen the security and defense forces of our country," said Ihor Klymenko.
According to him, it is equally important to carry out stabilization measures, ensure law and order and restore the activities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the de-occupied territories, as well as carry out demining.
The Minister emphasized the need to bring to justice all those who committed war crimes, as well as collaborators.
"Every war crime committed by the aggressor must be well documented. We cannot miss a single collaborator or traitor. All of them must receive a fair punishment," the Interior Minister emphasized.
Ihor Klymenko is convinced that a principled, tough and effective fight against corruption is also required.
"Everyone should clearly realize that corrupt officials are Ukraine's internal enemies. We will fight corruption both within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and in other government agencies," he assured.
In addition, despite the difficulties, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will continue to work to improve the system of providing services to citizens both in Ukraine and abroad, and to take measures to restore and strengthen the state border, the Minister of Internal Affairs added.