Announcing the appointment, Ukraine’s interior minister said the new Kyiv police chief should prioritize ‘public safety’ in the city in the lead-up to Independence Day celebrations.

‘It is the first challenge you and all of us are facing. And now, you will be responsible for organization of the events’, added the minister, addressing the new Kyiv police chief.

He called on Kyiv police to step up efforts in handling ‘robberies and car thefts’, which are the most complained about offences  in the capital of Ukraine.

The new appointment comes after Andriy Kryshchenko announced  Monday he was stepping down from his post of  Kyiv police chief.