Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance Day in Ukraine Date in the current year: August 22, 2024

Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance Day was officially established in 1996 to recognize officers of the Ukrainian militsiya who died serving their country. Following the 2015 reform of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine, this memorial day recognizes deceased officers who died while serving in one of the sub-departments of the Ministry of Interior, including the National Police, the National Guard, the Special Tasks Patrol Police, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Emergency Service.

According to the National Police of Ukraine, almost 1700 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty between Ukraine’s independence in 1991 and 2019. Almost a third of them died in the War in Donbas that started in 2014. This number has significantly increased since then, largely due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that has taken the lives of many police officers, service members of the National Guard, border guards, and rescuers.

Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance Day in Ukraine is marked by remembrance ceremonies held in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and regional centers. The ceremony in Kyiv is usually attended by the Minister of Interior, his deputies, other officials, law enforcement veterans, families and co-workers of deceased law enforcement officers, and their foreign colleagues. It includes a moment of silence, the laying of wreaths at the memorial dedicated to deceased law enforcement officers, and a performance of the national anthem.

The memorial to law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty was opened in the Solomianska Square in Kyiv on August 22, 1997. Its official name is the Monument to Courage, Loyalty and Heroism of Employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The memorial is situated opposite the National Academy of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

Ukraine is not the only country that has a special remembrance day dedicated to deceased law enforcement officers. Similar memorial days that are observed in other countries include Peace Officers Remembrance Day in the United States and National Police Memorial Day in the United Kingdom.

A week after Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance Day, Ukrainians observe the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine to recognize those who died protecting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Fallen defenders of Ukraine are honored on August 29 to commemorate the Battle of Ilovaisk, which was one of the biggest losses for the Ukrainian Army during the early stages of the War in Donbas.

The Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine was officially established in 2019, and since then, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has held its remembrance ceremonies on August 29 instead of August 22, although Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance Day hasn’t been officially canceled yet.