MOSCOW. March 20 (Interfax) - Russia's interior minister has expressed confidence that those who served in Ukraine's disbanded Berkut riot police force would "have no problem" finding jobs in Russia.
"I'm sure that our Ukrainian counterparts will have no problem and that their professional skills will be in demand," Vladimir Kolokoltsev told Moscow daily Kommersant in an interview published in the paper on Wednesday.
He said ex-Berkut servicemen who might apply for service in Russia's police force would have to pass through all the procedures that police recruitment involves.
He argued that former Berkut personnel had in effect ended up in an emergency in Ukraine and for that reason would receive special welfare support if they sought employment in Russia. "Each family will be helped to set up a new home, both as regards accommodation and as regards education for their children," he said.
He denied that ex-Berkut personnel who apply for service would have specific postings forced on them.