Police officers gathered for an official ceremony on St. Sophia Square in central Kyiv on
Aug. 4 to mark the first anniversary of the founding of the National Police, part of Interior Ministry
reforms that introduced road, metro and foot police patrols.
Although the first units of the National Police were formed on July 3, 2015, from 2016, National Police Day will be
celebrated in Ukraine on Aug. 4, the day in 2015 that the law “On the National Police” was signed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The new police service replaced the Militsiya, the former police service from the Soviet era.
Officers from various branches of the new police force attended the ceremony, including ones from the KORD special riot police division, which replaced the infamous Berkut special riot police. The Berkut were used by runaway former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in the winter of 2013-2014, and were disbanded soon after the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014.
The celebrations of the founding of the National Police included a speech by National Police Chief Khatia Dekanoidze and a medal presentation ceremony.
The event was attended by outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey R. Pyatt and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov, along with members of the public.
The public had the chance to inspect National Police equipment, including armored personnel carriers used by the force.
