A meeting of the Board of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine was held in Kyiv, summarizing the activity of the agency over the last year and identifying the main missions for 2020.

Members of the Board, heads of structural units of the State Border Guard Service Administration, Regional Directorates and border protection bodies, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Public Council, veterans' organization and Agency trade union also took part in the meeting.

Opening the meeting, Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Serhii Deineko stressed that border protection is carried out under difficult conditions when it is necessary to confront external threats related to Russian aggression and internal problems - abuse and corruption. Equally difficult is the situation at the state border.

“Offenders are increasingly threatening lives and health of border guards through their actions. Weapon must often be used to stop them. But in the future, we will continue to react firmly to any attempts of criminals to dictate their terms to us,” he stressed.

The head of the department invited participants of the meeting to rise and observe a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of all those who gave their lives while defending the borders.

It was also emphasized that despite the dynamic nature of the situation, its controllability was ensured. The effectiveness of the State Border Guard Service activity is also confirmed by foreign partners, since most attempts of illegal activity are stopped from the Ukrainian side, not by law enforcement agencies of adjacent countries.

Serhii Deineko pointed out that “adopting the National Strategy for Integrated Border Management for 2020-2025 and approving the Plan for its implementation by 2022 was of utmost importance. And within the framework of legislative improvement 22 draft laws and regulations on border issues were elaborated. " At the beginning of 2020, for example, the Law on the Allocation of Land Plots to the State Border on a Permanent Basis for Engineering and Maintenance of the Border entered into force.

In addition, he reminded that since mid-2019, the Agency had faced dramatic changes, in particular, management optimisation.

"By reducing unjustifiably extended management structures, we have focused on the proper organising the border protection bodies and units," Colonel Deineko stressed, adding that the department's resources and efforts were also directed to provide an appropriate social package for the border guards.

"At the end of the year we were able to achieve an increase in budget financing, which allowed us to increase the money supply for all categories of servicemen by an average of 15%," said Serhii Deineko. He pointed out that this year complete elimination of the existing disproportion and aligning the salary to the level of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will continue. In addition, in 2019, 220 families of border guards and veterans received housing or financial compensation for the purchase of housing (for the first time, more than UAH 112 million was allocated for compensation to 99 families, and this practice will continue). This year, it is planned to complete construction of 5 facilities and 305 apartments for border guards.

Head of the State Border Service stressed that the main indicator of the activity and reforming of the department is public support and sociological studies show the increase of trust to border guards.

"I am convinced that together we will overcome all the difficulties and, as it is appropriate, we will be the FIRST AND HONOURED to represent Ukraine at its borders," - summed up the head of the SBGSU.

The People's Deputy of Ukraine Pavlo Sushko, a member of the State Border Guard Service Board, announced his support to the activities of border guards and other initiatives. “A lot of work has already been done, including a number of changes to the legislation. Thus, it became possible to overcome the gaps and inconsistencies in the legal field, which did not allow the chief of the border guard detachment to carry out operational-search activities in full force, which is the main operational and service link of the State Border Service. For this purpose, amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Operative and Search Activity" were made to improve the activities of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine," Pavlo Sushko stressed.

Pavel Sushko also said that there are initiatives that should improve the activity of medical and educational institutions of the State Border Guard Service, providing housing for border guards, increasing the level of public trust in the Agency. In particular, he emphasized the establishment of a “Reforms Office”, which should facilitate innovation in addressing the social problems of the border guards, implementation of EU and NATO standards and other initiatives.

"We will continue to promote well-being of border guards and quality and efficiency of work of the whole border guard agency," Pavlo Sushko said.

The Head of the Department for Cooperation with the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Serhii Riabyi, on behalf of the Minister and the Board of the MIA, thanked the border guards for their service. He noted that in 2019 a high level of border security was ensured, a systematic fight against corruption is being carried out, the level of social protection of border guards is increasing, medicine and housing are being developed. He also stressed the capacity building of the service, in particular in the framework of agreements with the French Government on supply of helicopters and ships. According to Serhii Riabyi, the border guards have a high level of trust and support of international partners, since the implementation of international technical assistance estimated at more than 300 million UAH by the State Border Guard Service last year is one of the best indicators among the agencies coordinated in the internal affairs system.