Plans to Create Military Police in Ukraine

The Main Department of Military Justice of the Ministry of Defence is participating in the development of the draft law on the military police of Ukraine. The document is being drafted on the basis of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement. The tasks of the military police will include the detection and suppression of war crimes and the maintenance of discipline among soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As the press service of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reports, the military police “should become a military formation with law enforcement functions and will be part of the system of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.”

“The body will be formed on the basis of the Military Law Enforcement Service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It will be given separate powers regarding operational investigative activities and pre-trial investigation of war crimes (in war zones),” the report reads.

The purpose of the body is to maintain military discipline among the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the Ministry of Defence, and the State Transport Special Service (STSS).

The main tasks of the military police will include law enforcement activities to prevent, detect, and suppress war crimes in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and military regulations; investigative activity; special prevention in AFU and STSS; ensuring law and order, military discipline in AFU and STSS; protection of the rights of military personnel; protection of state property; and punishment execution.

The Ministry of Defence also emphasises plans to achieve compatibility of the military police of Ukraine with the relevant structures of NATO member states.

Bohdan Marusyak