Former Azov battalion leader works to clean up Kyiv regional police, his image
▻http://www.kyivpost.com/content/kyiv-post-plus/former-azov-battalion-leader-works-to-clean-up-kyiv-regional-police-his-im
In one week at the end of October Vadym Troyan went from being the deputy commander of a right-wing volunteer battalion fighting in Ukraine’s east to chief of police for the Kyiv Oblast.
Foreign media portrayed the man as a neo-Nazi taking a major job in the police, but he has remained largely unaware his poor image abroad because since the beginning of November he has been traveling around his new jurisdiction and speaking to police officers.
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Troyan says he has made the fight against corruption in the police a personal priority. Coming back from the front, he aims to bring the ingenuity and dedication that has defined Ukraine’s non-government initiatives since the start of the EuroMaidan a year ago.
He admits though that until salaries are raised for police officers it will be difficult to stamp out corruption completely. A police officer in the war zone who spoke to the Kyiv Post recently said he made Hr 2,000 ($125) per month. He is employed by a special organized crime fighting unit.
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As head of Kyiv region police Troyan has no jurisdiction over the city of Kyiv, but when asked by the Kyiv Post if he would have any issues protecting people at a similar LGBT film festival he said he would not. “I would ensure order,” he added.
Troyan denies connection to right-wing extremist organizations and says that the Azov battalion was tolerant and there “it didn’t matter what religion you were or what language you spoke.”
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Not everyone agrees with his evaluation. Holya Coynash of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group calls appointing Troyan police chief an “awful” move. She says Troyan has been linked to neo-Nazi groups such as the Patriots of Ukraine in the past. She does not think the move is indicative of boarder right-wing sympathies in the government but says it is a careful balancing act in Ukraine currently to criticize right-wing groups because Russia uses any such critiques for its propaganda purposes.
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Troyan attended the Ministry of Interior’s academy in Kharkiv, and has worked for the police in that region for seven years in his early career. He moved on to what he described as “sports, meditation, living in the mountains” for several years.
Il s’agit de la police de la région (oblast) de Kiev, la ville de Kiev est une région différente. En fait, il était monté à Kiev pour demander la poste de chef de la police de la région de Donetsk…