Photo: National Police
Investigators from the National Police of Ukraine (NPU) have documented more than 114,000 war crimes since the onset of the full-scale war with Russia.
This was revealed by NPU Head Ivan Vyhivskyi during a meeting with an Estonian delegation led by Director General of the Police and Border Guard Board of the Republic of Estonia Egert Belichev and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Estonia to Ukraine Anneli Kolk, as reported by the National Police’s Communications Department.
Vyhivskyi highlighted the challenging conditions in which the National Police operates, encompassing additional functions such as the evacuation of citizens, demining of territories, documentation of war crimes, and the defense of the country.
During the meeting, Ukrainian and Estonian police resumed the joint security project, «Development of regional-level management and leadership capabilities in the central police administration, the Main Departments of the National Police in Chernihiv and Kirovohrad regions using the experience of the Eastern and Southern Prefectures of the Estonian Police Department and the Border Guard Service». Originally planned for 2022-2023, the project was temporarily suspended due to the full-scale war with Russia but is now being reinstated and expanded to include the Zhytomyr region.
Implemented with support from the Estonian Centre for International Development, the project allows 36 senior police officers from three regions to receive training in Estonian police methods and practices. Vyhivskyi expressed gratitude for Estonia’s cooperation and support, emphasizing the importance of sharing experiences, especially during wartime.
Estonian Director General Egert Belichev noted the significant expansion of cooperation with the Ukrainian police since Russia’s full-scale invasion. He stressed the mutual value of deepening experience in crisis management and wartime operations.
The delegation was briefed on the work of the Situation Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which monitors the country’s security situation 24/7, and visited investigators and forensic units documenting war crimes. The capabilities of criminal analysis and cyber police units, crucial for identifying war criminals, were also presented.
Vyhivskyi and Belichev visited the reconstructed Irpin Police Department, previously destroyed by Russian shelling, where they paid homage to fallen police officers and honored the memory of Serhii Blyzniuk, a police officer who heroically sacrificed his life in Irpin while saving local residents.