Traffic Accident Involving the Dnipro Internal Security Department

In the city of Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, an officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department of the National Police of Ukraine was allegedly involved in a traffic accident and fled the scene.

The Anti-Corruption Human Rights Council received information indicating that on April 16, 2021, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a traffic accident occurred at the entrance to the city of Kamianske on Sicheslavskyi Shliakh.

The accident allegedly involved Senior Police Lieutenant Kristian Volodymyrovych Laiosha, an operative officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department of the National Police of Ukraine, originally from Uzhhorod, who was allegedly driving a black Škoda Octavia.

According to the available information, on April 15, 2021, Laiosha, together with other law enforcement officers, celebrated Criminal Investigation Day and, at the time of the accident, may have been under the influence of alcohol.

When officers from Police Department No. 2 (Bahliiskyi District) of the Kamianske District Police Department arrived at the scene, they allegedly determined that Kristian Laiosha, an officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department, had fled the scene of the accident.

The vehicle’s license plates and documents had also disappeared, which may indicate an attempt to conceal the alleged offense.

A VIN check of the Škoda Octavia established that the registered owner was Kateryna Vasylivna Laiosha, Kristian Laiosha’s mother.

According to preliminary information, a passenger in the Škoda sustained bodily injuries, although the severity of those injuries is unknown. However, the passenger reportedly did not seek medical treatment at any healthcare facility in Kamianske.

At the time, Police Department No. 2 registered the incident as a traffic accident committed by unidentified persons.

It should be noted that the mission of the Internal Security Department of the National Police of Ukraine is to detect and prevent offenses committed by police officers. Therefore, the alleged commission of an offense, fleeing the scene of an accident, and attempting to avoid responsibility by an officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department appears particularly serious.

We previously reported that in 2020, Volodymyr Mykhailovych Zhelezniak was appointed head of the Internal Security Department of the National Police in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Before that appointment, the police officer held senior positions within the Economic Protection Department of the Ivano-Frankivsk region.

Following the appointment of the new head, the effectiveness of the Dnipro Internal Security Department allegedly deteriorated significantly.

The officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department who allegedly caused the accident and fled the scene had also previously served in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, where he worked under Volodymyr Zhelezniak.

Apparently, he was considered a “trusted,” “talented,” and valuable officer whom the newly appointed regional head transferred into his own unit.

At present, information regarding the alleged traffic accident and the alleged fleeing of the scene by an officer of the Dnipro Internal Security Department is being investigated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

We hope that those responsible, regardless of their rank or position, will not avoid legal accountability.

Once again, questions arise regarding the professional competence of Volodymyr Zhelezniak, who appears unable to supervise his own subordinates.

Can officers of the Internal Security Department of the National Police of Ukraine truly reduce misconduct among police officers under these circumstances?