The Ministerstvo Vnutrishnikh Sprav (MVS; Ministry of Internal Affairs) is the national police authority of Ukraine. It is a centralized agency headed by a Minister (usually a police general) and is directly subordinate to the President of Ukraine, although the Minister is a formal member of the country's cabinet.

The generic term for the Ukrainian police (and for police in most of post-Soviet countries) is militsiya.

Recent political changes

During the 2004 election and Orange Revolution, the MVS didn't dare to crack down on the peaceful opposition protests, although media sources claim that respective orders were given to its anti-riot units by senior commanders and the leaders of the country. Minor clashes between protesters and the Berkut happened in the city of Chernihiv, but both sides agreed they were incidental and provoked by unknown forces. The opposition also accused the militsiya of involvement in election fraud attempts that occurred in local polling stations.

In February 2005, as part of the post-election democratic changes, President Viktor Yushchenko appointed MP Yuriy Lutsenko as new Minister of Internal Affairs. Unlike his predecessors, Lutsenko is a career politician and has never served in the militsiya or any other law enforcement agency. Moreover, as one of the opposition SPU leaders, Lutsenko participated in few protest campaigns and conflicts with the militsiya. The new minister has already demanded resignations from those militsioners involved in racketeering. Thus, a significant step has been made towards the establishment of civil control over the Ukrainian police.

See also

• Security Service of Ukraine
• Military of Ukraine
• Orange Revolution
• UBK

References

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