On paper, Kyiv police are considered ordinary cops
Despite their name, the Kyiv patrol police officers who recently took to the streets of the capital are officially police officers.
Denis Bugai, President of the Ukrainian Bar Association, spoke about this in an interview with the Kyiv magazine “Correspondent”.
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"Police officers currently operate under the Law on Police ," the lawyer emphasized. "Formally, they're not employees of this new police force that will exist after the new law comes into effect. Formally, they're police officers serving in a unit called the Police. There used to be a unit called Berkut, and police officers served there, but their unit was called Berkut and was used in special cases. Similarly, a unit called the Police has now been created within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and it's staffed by police officers. So, all these guys who wear uniforms, carry batons, and handcuffs and patrol the city are officially police officers."
Kyiv police officers are officially listed as ordinary cops.