Frontline veteran Serhiy Naumenko becomes Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
3 September 18:53
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine has a new deputy. It is police colonel Serhiy Naumenko, an officer with many years of experience in service, combat operations and commanding units. His appointment was announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Military career and combat experience
Naumenko gained recognition at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, when his aerial reconnaissance team helped to detect the enemy on the outskirts of Kyiv in time. This played a key role in the successful defense of the capital.
Despite being wounded during an artillery attack in Rubizhne, he continued to perform combat missions. He took part in heavy battles for Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Izyum, Balakliia, Kupiansk, Vuhledar, Mariinka, and Bakhmut, showing resilience and dedication to service.
New tasks in the Ministry of Internal Affairs
From now on, Naumenko will be responsible for the key areas of the Ministry’s activities:
- protection ofthe state border and protection of Ukraine’s sovereign rights in its exclusive (maritime) economic zone;
- management ofthe National Guard of Ukraine in military, political and administrative aspects;
- development of aviation security and civil defense in the structures of the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, the State Emergency Service and the National Guard.
In addition, his area of responsibility will include:
- improving legislation in the field of internal security;
- organization of the use of aviation and unmanned units;
- development of the flight crew training system;
- coordinating the activities of aviation companies working in the interests of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Expectations from the appointment
The Ministry emphasized that Sergiy Naumenko is a professional and decisive leader who is well aware of the challenges facing the Ministry of Internal Affairs system in times of war.
“I believe that his experience and dedication will strengthen our common cause – strengthening the security of the state,” the ministry said.
Serhiy Naumenko is a police colonel with more than two decades of experience in law enforcement. Until 2022, he worked in the National Police and had experience in managing security and law enforcement units.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, Naumenko was one of the first to form a combat aerial reconnaissance team. Its work proved to be critical during the defense of Kyiv: thanks to drones, it was possible to detect Russian columns on the outskirts of the capital in time and transmit data to the artillery.
After that, his unit took part in the hottest battles in eastern and southern Ukraine – in Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Izyum, Balakliya, Kupiansk, Vuhledar, Mariinka, and Bakhmut. In Rubizhne, Naumenko was wounded but quickly returned to duty.
He has a reputation as a practicing officer who is able to make decisions in extreme conditions and introduce new tactics, including the use of unmanned systems at the level of Interior Ministry units.
Experts say that his appointment could strengthen the aviation and border guard departments within the Interior Ministry, as Naumenko has a good understanding of the current requirements for the use of drones and technology in wartime.
