Volunteers, volunteers, and military experts have named their candidates for the position of head of the State Border Service.
At the end of last week, an event many had been anticipating since the start of the anti-terrorist operation in Donbas occurred: Petro Poroshenko promised to sign a decree dismissing the head of the State Border Service, Mykola Lytvyn. Late yesterday evening, the decree was published on the president's official website.
During the war in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, numerous grievances have accumulated against Lytvyn. All of these diverse complaints essentially boil down to one question: why didn't the country's top border guard close the border with Russia and stop the flow of weapons and terrorists into Ukraine?
Who will lead the Border Service? While the president remains intrigued, Hubs decided to identify the "people's" contenders for the title of the country's chief border guard. We asked representatives of volunteer battalions and volunteers who have been the most critical of Lytvyn to name their likely candidates. Military experts also weighed in.
Interestingly, the opinions of experts and veterans were radically divided. Those who did not participate in the ATO primarily cite individuals from the current Ministry of Defense generals or from among the border guard generals.
Those who fought in the East prefer to see in the chief border guard's chair a combat officer from among those who had to be in the so-called cauldron near Ilovaisk and on the border with Russia.
However, the list of "people's" candidates for the post of head of the State Border Service did not include individuals who had already become media heroes. For example, none of those surveyed named Semyon Semenchenko, commander of the Donbass Battalion, among the contenders.
From the candidates named by experts and volunteers for Litvin's position, Hubs selected those whose names were mentioned most often.
Of course, this list is highly subjective. And not all battalions found the time to respond to our request. But only those truly trusted today made it into the list.
Who could become the country's chief border guard?
Mikhail Koval
Colonel General, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, served as Acting Minister of Defense of Ukraine from March 25 to July 3
Almost all of the respondents we spoke with named Mikhail Koval as one of the leading contenders for the position of head of the State Border Service. They believe Koval proved himself to be a competent officer even during the occupation of Crimea. As a reminder, in March, the general was kidnapped in Yalta, presumably by Russian intelligence services. The officer was offered a transfer to the Russian Armed Forces, but he declined.
Regarding Koval's lackluster performance as Defense Minister, respondents believe it wasn't the minister's fault. Koval served at a time when Ukraine simply didn't have an army.
Pavel Shisholin
Colonel General, Deputy Head of the State Border Service, Director of the State Border Protection Department
Pavel Shisholin is a virtually unknown figure in the general public. However, he is respected by those who professionally follow events in Donbas.
Shisholin is a professional border guard. He graduated from the KGB Higher Border Military-Political School. He is originally from the Cherkasy region.
The general himself spoke out against his boss's dismissal. In a comment to Segodnya, he declared that Nikolai Litvin was "a professional like no other."
Semyon Koleinik
Major, commander of the Phoenix volunteer battalion as part of the 79th separate airmobile brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Semyon Koleinyk is a hero of the Ukrainian Air Force. It was he, as deputy commander of the 79th Brigade, who led 75 wounded paratroopers out of encirclement near Marynivka in July of this year.
In mid-August 2014, the formation of the Phoenix volunteer battalion began.
For personal courage and heroism he was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky.
Andrey Teteruk
Colonel, commander of the "Peacemaker" battalion
Andriy Teteruk is a professional soldier originally from Vinnytsia. He received his military education in Moscow and rose through the ranks from a fire support platoon commander to a special forces company commander.
In 2003, he completed an internship in Egypt, completing a course on combating international terrorism. In 2004-2005, he served in Kosovo as part of a peacekeeping mission with UN forces. He served as deputy commander and chief of staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' special peacekeeping unit.
2006-2007 – second peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, after which he retired and headed the security department of one of the shopping centers in Kyiv.
In March of this year, he volunteered and was appointed commander of the "Peacemaker" special purpose patrol police battalion. The battalion was made up of professional military personnel—veterans of peacekeeping missions.
Yuri Bereza
Major, commander of the Dnepr-1 battalion
Yuriy Bereza graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Higher Anti-Aircraft Missile Command School of Air Defense. He served in the Far East.
In 2003, he completed his service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the rank of major. Afterward, he went into business.
Konstantin Skilfus
Retired Major, Chief of Staff of the Lugansk-1 Battalion
Konstantin Sklifus was included on the list of "people's" candidates for the post of head of the State Border Service thanks to his fellow countrymen and volunteers fighting in the Luhansk region.
Sklifus, like all the other candidates, is a career military man. And, like most service veterans, he received his education in Russia, graduating from the Ordzhonikidze Higher Military Command School.
In the 1990s, he moved to Luhansk. He worked as an investigator. In 2002, he retired with the rank of major.
He enlisted as a volunteer in April of this year and was appointed chief of staff of the Luhansk-1 special purpose police patrol battalion.
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