The structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs must remain holistic to effectively guarantee the security of the state, stressed the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrskyi in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"I am not a supporter of radical divisions - the National Guard, the Border Troops, this is the wrong approach in principle, given that the current system works," - said the Minister.

According to him, the seven-year experience of cooperation of all structures that are part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has proved its effectiveness.

"Approximately 40% of the police and 60% of the National Guard are involved in ensuring public safety at mass events, and their coordination with each other determines the extent to which the right to peaceful protest will be ensured. If there is a failure, there will be a conflict, so you need to constantly communicate. In Kyiv, where most mass events take place, all forces are personally coordinated by the Kyiv police chief. Locally there are responsible persons, and all that is one link. And if there are two decision-making centers, the collapse is obvious, "Denys Monastyrskyi explained.

He added that discussions on the division and subordination of structures that are part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are not a novelty.

"Proponents of the division, international partners say that it would be logical to allocate these units. But if we talk about the holistic nature, the ability to ensure security, the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs should consist of the following parts: the National Police, the Border Guard, the National Guard, the State Emergency service and the Migration Service, "said the Minister.

He summed up: "The five structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs form the fist that can ensure the security of the state."

Full text of the interview is at the link.

Website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs