Ukraine police chief: 9,000 officers fighting on front lines out of 100,000
The head of the National Police of Ukraine, Ivan Vyhivskyi, has said that more than 100,000 officers currently serve in the force, with around 9,000 fighting on the front lines.
Vyhivskyi said this at a briefing on Sunday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
"Just over 100,000 police officers work in the National Police. Of these, 25,000 are women. Another 13,500 officers are under the age of 25, meaning they are below mobilization age. At the same time, about 9,000 officers are constantly fighting on the front, and more than 30,000 are deployed and working in areas close to combat zones," Vyhivskyi said.
Commenting on the actions of two officers who left civilians, including a child, at the scene of a terrorist attack in Kyiv on Saturday, Vyhivskyi described the situation as "regrettable."
"We cannot ignore it. We are making personnel decisions, and the materials collected during the internal investigation will be forwarded to the State Bureau of Investigation. However, it is not entirely correct to judge the entire National Police system based on the actions of these two officers," he said.
At the same time, he stressed that police overall responded promptly, following proper procedures and quickly neutralizing the attacker.
"I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," he added.
As reported, a gunman opened fire on civilians in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district on Saturday, later taking hostages in a store and shooting at police during the standoff. Negotiators attempted to engage with him before he was ultimately killed.
Earlier reports indicated that six people were killed and 14 injured in the attack. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said eight wounded victims remain hospitalized.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the attacker was a native of Moscow. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry stated that he legally owned a carbine and shot four people on the street, later killing a fifth victim inside the store.
Investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine have classified the shooting and hostage-taking as a terrorist attack. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, videos circulating on social media appear to show police officers leaving the scene, abandoning civilians, including a child, in danger.
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