Resignation After a Shameful Escape: Head of Kyiv Patrol Police Resigned Due to Cowardice of Subordinates 0 16

Yevhen Zhukov, who headed the Patrol Police Department of Ukraine, made the decision to resign. The reason was a shocking incident during a recent terrorist attack in Kyiv, when two police officers simply fled the scene, leaving civilians alone with danger.

"As a combat officer, I decided to submit my resignation as the head of the Patrol Police Department of Ukraine. I think this is the fair thing to do," he stated on Sunday, April 19, at a joint briefing with the head of the National Police of Ukraine, Ivan Vygovsky.

Zhukov, who had led the department since 2015, emotionally characterized the behavior of his subordinates. He called the incident "shameful" and unacceptable.

"The police acted unprofessionally and unworthily for police officers. They arrived at the call; they were supposed to help, to save our citizens. They poorly oriented themselves and left wounded civilians in danger," he said.

Zhukov did not disclose the names of those responsible but specified details of their service. One of the patrol officers joined the police only in 2024, while his partner has been serving since 2015. He emphasized that a thorough internal investigation will be conducted, and all those who supervised these officers will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Yevhen Zhukov reminded of the direct duties of patrol officers: first a warning shot, then the use of weapons. However, at this critical moment, "unfortunately, it was not applied," he bitterly noted.

At the same time, the police chief rightly pointed out that one cannot assess the entire service based on the unworthy actions of a few individual officers.

Investigation of Police Actions Assigned to Head of National Police

Just a few hours before Zhukov's statement, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, had already given an order. He instructed to initiate an internal investigation regarding the actions of the police officers who failed to fulfill their duties during the Kyiv terrorist attack. This tragic incident claimed the lives of at least six civilians. The order was addressed to the head of the National Police, Vygovsky, which Klymenko announced on his Telegram channel.

"The results and decisions of the internal investigation will be made public by the National Police in the shortest possible time," Klymenko assured.

In turn, Ivan Vygovsky confirmed that during the investigation, the guilty police officers have been suspended from their duties.

"We must establish all circumstances of the incident without exceptions," he said.

This followed the appearance of shocking video footage online, recorded by eyewitnesses. The footage clearly shows two police officers simply fleeing the scene of the shootout, leaving people to fend for themselves.

According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the terrorist attack in the capital claimed the lives of six people. Eight others were hospitalized, including a child in moderate condition and an adult whose condition is assessed as extremely serious.

The Terrorist in Kyiv Was a Native of Moscow, a 'Military Pensioner'

On Saturday, April 18, Kyiv was shaken by a horrifying incident. An unknown man suddenly opened fire on visitors of the "Velmart" supermarket in the Holosiivskyi district. As a result, the criminal was eliminated by special forces during the storming of the shopping center.

"He took people hostage and opened fire on the police during the arrest. Prior to that, negotiators tried to contact him," reported the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Klymenko, that day. According to the publication "Ukrainian Truth," it was previously reported that the attacker was Dmytro Vasylenko, born in 1968. He was born in Moscow but held Ukrainian citizenship. Before moving to Kyiv, he lived in Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, then moved to Kyiv.

This information was subsequently officially confirmed by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Ruslan Kravchenko. Minister Klymenko also added that the terrorist used registered firearms.