Interior Minister on patrol officers who left boy during terrorist attack in Kyiv: it is a great shame, they showed psychological weakness

The behavior of patrol police officers who left a wounded boy and fled during the events of April 18 in Kyiv is a great shame; the patrol officers could have at least taken positions and readied their weapons for combat, emphasized Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko.

At a meeting with media representatives, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that the first call to the police regarding the events involving a shooter in Kyiv reported "hooliganism."

According to Klymenko, the police learned while already en route that there was a shooting and people were wounded.

"The way they (the patrol police) behaved at that moment is a great shame. Two adults who took an oath to protect left this boy sitting on the asphalt and fled themselves. At the very least, they should have taken a position and readied their weapons for combat. They should have tried to stop the shooter by all means – up to immediate liquidation," the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasized.

He said that other crews arrived within minutes. "The boy was immediately pulled away, and the next crew took him into their car right away. That is, everyone else acted professionally from then on," Klymenko added.

He noted that the KORD officers acted quickly and professionally.

"There were negotiations for 40 minutes – he (the shooter) walked around the store, did not react, he was in an unstable state. He was just shooting, he was no longer threatening, he was not talking to anyone. Just mindlessly shooting," the minister said.

"I want to say one thing: the entire system cannot be judged by two patrol officers. At that specific moment, these two individuals showed psychological weakness," the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs summarized.

Speaking directly about these patrol officers, the minister explained that the 44-year-old female officer worked in the headquarters, in the Patrol Police Department, and on weekends headquarters officers are also put on patrol duty. "This is no excuse at all – in 10 years one could have learned how to react. Or more accurately – the leadership should have taught and prepared all personnel for extreme situations," the minister added.

According to Klymenko, the second patrol officer – a 27-year-old man – graduated from the Patrol Police Academy and joined the service at the beginning of 2024. "At the time he joined – at 25 – the mobilization age was from 27 years," Klymenko clarified.