Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said that he will not allow demonstration of force by paramilitary formations and that the police will not sign any agreements with any national squads for joint patrolling.
“I hope that those guys who are at the head of ultranationalist movements understand the current situation well. We will not allow the substitution of power in any case. Any demonstrative action that will be taken by paramilitary structures will be severely suppressed,” he said at a meeting at the European Business Association in Kyiv on March 13.
He said that Ukrainian legislation foresees the work of national squads on ensuring law and order if these squads have signed relevant agreements with the National Police.
“At the moment, the National Police does not have any agreements with national squads and does not plan to sign any,” Avakov said.
He also added: “We attracted squad members in the good sense of the word in 2014 in Mariupol, when I allowed joint patrols with police forces and the second time when ammunition exploded at depots in Kalynivka.”
