Station, serving five communities, to increase public safety along 'contact line' in Luhansk Oblast

Triokhizbenka, Luhansk Oblast, February 26, 2021 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine under the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) has renovated a police station in the Triokhizbenka community, Luhansk Oblast, which is located 2 kilometers from the 'contact line' in eastern Ukraine.

The work to renovate the police station was carried out with the financial support of the governments of Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.

Before the opening of the renovated police station, the nearest police station serving the residents of Triokhizbenka was 40 kilometres away. The new police station will increase the efficiency and timeliness of law enforcement response to citizens' requests and maintain residents' safety living along the 'contact line.' As well as protecting public order in Triokhizbenka, the station will also serve four other community settlements in the area – Kriakivka, Lobacheve, Lopaskyne and Orikhove-Donetske. Together with Triokhizbenka , these communities have more than 4,500 residents.

UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme Manager Victor Munteanu said the police station's opening would help maintain long-term public order and strengthen security in the village and the areas served by the police station.

"We understand that due to many years of armed conflict, people living in Triokhizbenka and nearby villages along the 'contact line' do not feel completely protected,” Munteanu said.

“We’re convinced that this police station's opening is a necessary step to make the locals feel safer and know that they have someone to turn to in a difficult moment."

Iurii Slukhaienko, Deputy Head of the Main Department of National Police in Luhansk Oblast, stressed that with the opening of the station, more than 4,500 people living in the five settlements of the Triokhizbenka community would gain better police services, and the effectiveness of district police officers and patrol teams would increase significantly.

"Previously, the Triokhizbenka community inhabitants received police services from the Shchastia Territorial Police Department, located 40 kilometres away,” Slukhaienko said. “From now on, the provision of timely prevention of illegal actions on the territory of the community will significantly improve, and the public's trust in law enforcement agencies will grow."

Volodymyr Haivoronskyi, head of the Triokhizbenka Civil-Military Administration (CMA), thanked all those involved in creating the modern police station and stressed the importance of assisting the Triokhizbenka community, which called for the police station’s opening.

"Together, we managed to get our own police station, where the local population, including the vulnerable groups, will receive services,” Haivoronskyi said. “We’re grateful for the support, and ready to continue cooperating in the interests of citizens and the community."

The total cost of the repairs carried out under the UN RPP with funds provided by the governments of Denmark, Switzerland and Sweden was US$ 27,937 (UAH 789,207). The Main Department of National Police in Luhansk Oblast also purchased additional equipment and furniture to equip the police station.

Background

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Twelve international partners support the Programme: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden & Switzerland.

Media inquiries

Maksym Kytsiuk, Communications Associate, United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, maksym.kytsiuk@undp.org or +380 63 576 1839