Nearly 850 OSCE observers will arrive in Ukraine to monitor presidential elections. A special working group has been established at the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure effective cooperation, public safety as well legitimacy of the electoral process. This was announced by Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov during the meeting.

"At a meeting with the participation of members of the Central Election Commission, the Civil Network OPORA, the board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the leadership of the National Police, we agreed mechanisms for ensuring public safety and the legitimacy of elections. We will act in a coordinated and resolute manner. All candidates will receive protection, not preferences. In addition, a working group was set up at the Ministry of Internal Affairs to identify and qualify the facts of violating the law during the election process," Arsen Avakov said.

According to the Minister, the working group includes representatives of investigating and operational departments of the National Police and public security specialists. This group is designed to prevent violations and provocations during the whole election process, directly on the day of voting and during the counting of votes. Also, this working group is to consider citizen appeals, media monitoring and social networks in order to detect and prevent violations of electoral law and to work closely with the Central Election Commission.

The working group is headed by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Stoyko.

According to him, about 850 OSCE observers will arrive in Ukraine during the presidential election. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is also ready for close cooperation and security of OSCE representatives.

In turn, Deputy Head of the National Police Olexandr Fatsevych assured that to date there are no risk of impact on the security of the OSCE mission.

"At the moment, we cannot see any risks and obstacles to ensuring the security of OSCE observers throughout Ukraine. We have sufficient force, and this is our direct obligation. The police officers exert every effort to ensure that the elections in Ukraine are held safely and without any obstacles for both the OSCE observers and the citizens of Ukraine. We pledge that joining forces we will be able to provide security and fulfillment of those tasks that are assigned to us", stressed Olexandr Fatsevych.

Apart from that, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, together with the OPORA Civic Network, have drafted law No. 8270, which was registered in the Verkhovna Rada. It will significantly increase the responsibility of lawbreakers for certain types of electoral crimes and provide the police with an effective mechanism for investigating those crimes by placing into a category of grave and especially grave crimes.