Ukraine paramilitaries to serve in security service

Some members of the Praviy Sektor nationalist paramilitary organization will become an official subunit in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), an anonymous commander told the hromadske.tv news site on Aug. 20. The official status will give volunteer soldiers the opportunity for legal weapons, a consistent wage, state benefits, and a permanent presence on the war front, he said. That particular SBU subunit is among the most elite in Ukraine and has a constant presence in the anti-terrorist operation zone, he said. “Those who want to serve in state structures have the full possibility and we have the ability to offer this to them,” he said.

Zenon Zawada: It’s a positive sign that Praviy Sektor and the government have launched an initiative for paramilitary fighters to serve in official security structures. This is not the first attempt by the Ukrainian government to legalize paramilitary structures, and it’s positive to see it hasn’t given up in trying to do so, even after unsuccessful attempts and conflicts. A key component to success in the Ukrainian military defense is maximum cooperation between the government and paramilitary organizations, the largest being Praviy Sektor.