MIA: Patrol Officers Who Fled Kyiv Shooting on April 18 Showed Psychological Weakness
Minister Ihor Klymenko discussed patrol officers who fled a Kyiv shooting on April 18. The female officer worked at headquarters, and the male officer started in 2024. Their actions were deemed «a great shame,» but other units responded professionally. The two officers were suspected of official negligence.
Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko spoke about the patrol officers who were the first to arrive at the scene of the shooting in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district on April 18 and fled. The female officer, 44, joined the police in 2015 and worked at headquarters. The male officer, 27, graduated from the Patrol Police Academy and began serving in early 2024, joining at age 25 when the mobilization age was 27.
According to Klymenko, the initial call was about hooliganism, but en route, the officers learned about the shooting and injuries. The Minister called their behavior «a great shame,» as they abandoned an injured boy and fled instead of taking a position and stopping the shooter. He emphasized that the entire system should not be judged by two patrol officers who showed psychological weakness.
Other crews arrived within minutes, pulled the boy to safety, and acted professionally. KORD officers also acted swiftly, neutralizing the shooter after 40 minutes of negotiations. The two patrol officers were notified of suspicion of official negligence leading to severe consequences. The shooter, Vasylchenkov Dmytro Vasyliovych, born in 1968, a native of Moscow and a citizen of Ukraine, was killed by MIA special forces. Seven people died as a result of the shooting.