Ukraine's "Shakhtarsk" battalion disbanded over looting claims
KYIV. Oct 17 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Interior Ministry has disbanded the "Shakhtarsk" special operations traffic police battalion after some of its officers were accused of looting, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov told one of the country's television stations.
"The "Shakhtarsk" battalion, which fought excellently near Ilovaysk, was disbanded on orders issued by the minister because it was involved in repeated instances of looting in Volnovakha and in other situations," Avakov was quoted as saying on Friday by Radio Liberty.
Regrettably, a mere 50 soldiers had brought dishonor upon the entire 700-strong battalion, he said.
Measures were taken to improve discipline in other special operations battalions, the minister said.
The "Shakhtarsk" battalion was formed by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry in the Dnipropetrovsk region in June 2014. It was named after the city of Shakhtarsk in the Donetsk region.