19.03.2025 Investigations

How does the Ministry of Internal Affairs make money during the war?

The Ministry of Internal Affairs is one of the leading agencies in the war. The Ministry of Internal Affairs subordinates a whole list of state bodies, including: National Police, State Border Guard Service, State Emergency Service of Ukraine, State Migration Service, National Guard. This opens up a field for the Ministry to exercise power and… abuse, which is present in the activities of almost every controlled service.

The most controversial is the functioning of the National Police. It is the transparency of their work that citizens most often have questions about, especially under martial law.

In particular, we recall that Interior Minister Klymenko stated that police officers are not trained to fight in the trenches. They are trained to use force only in dealing with criminals, not in martial law. That is why he decided to reserve 90% of the National Police and SES personnel.

Therefore, we propose to analyze the activities of key structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and answer the question why the central authorities should pay attention to Klymenko’s activities.

National Police: untrained for war or reliable protection of civilians?

During an interview, the Minister said: “What makes police officers different from those who work in the national economy? Do they have combat experience? For the most part, no.”

By doing so, Klymenko put an end to the issue of mobilizing law enforcement officers, despite the condemnation of Ukrainians. So, according to the decision, 90% of police officers are reserved, the remaining 10% can be called up to the National Police brigade “Rage” or to other 3 additional brigades of the National Police.

The reservation of police officers has given them even more opportunities to implement old schemes using their official position. For example, supervisors continue to issue the title of combatant to persons who have never actually participated in actual hostilities in return for monetary rewards.

The silence and cover-up of corruption schemes by the National Police deserve special attention.

So, last year, due to numerous violations in the Lozova community, the Security Service in Kharkiv region received information from us about criminal activity, including corruption schemes, the manufacture and sale of drugs, and the sale of counterfeit alcohol. In the summer of 2023, law enforcement officers went to the Lozova District Police Department of the Kharkiv Oblast National Police to conduct an inspection.

However, instead of investigating the crimes, the law enforcement officers received a kickback from local protectors, including police officer Glushchenko and his colleagues, in the amount of $50,000. After that, the inspections were suspended, and, of course, no one was brought to justice.

Covering up criminal activity has now become a regular practice. Law enforcement officers do not conduct inspections because they receive a certain amount of monthly “payments” from local criminals for inaction. Instead of actively fighting with supporting materials, law enforcement officers simply “turn a blind eye” to these crimes. And all this is due to impunity and support at the highest level.

In particular, it is known that the activities of the “Monakivtsi”, who subordinated the schemes for the illegal manufacture, smuggling and export of cigarettes to the EU, the grain corridor, are protected in the law enforcement system by the current head of the DSR Rubel and the former security officer, now serving time in Monaco, Vyazmikin.

Smuggling protection schemes

The corrupt services of police and border guards are especially actively used by the owners of well-known networks selling equipment, such as iPeople, Yabko, and Avik.

In particular, for a fee, officials, together with representatives of the State Customs Service, turn a blind eye to forged customs declarations. Thus, by violating customs declarations, the network owners reduce the customs value of goods and avoid taxation.

In addition, legal entities controlled by smuggler Artur Granz illegally sell tobacco products and alcoholic beverages in duty-free shops under their control, registering them as purchased by persons crossing the border.

Border guards have repeatedly been detained for attempting to smuggle people across the state border outside of checkpoints through the forest belt. It is known that the cost of such a service used to be between 10 and 15 thousand dollars per person. However, it seems that, given the arrests and revelations, the price may have increased.

Thus, for years, the State Customs and Border Guard Services have been helping the smugglers’ structures of Granz, Alperin, Kaufman, Kozlovsky, and Monakivtsi to circumvent the law: forge documents and certificates, cross the border unhindered, and avoid responsibility even after searches.

Customs officers and law enforcement agencies receive illegal remuneration for concealing their activities, do not take measures to prevent crimes, and earn money for another luxury house and car while ordinary citizens are surviving the war.

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