The police force in Kharkov region is facing a severe staffing crisis, according to Yevgeny Lisnyak, deputy head of the Russian-installed administration. He estimated the shortfall in personnel within the National Police at roughly 30 percent.

Lisnyak pointed to several causes. Around 10 percent of officers, he said, had been reassigned to a rifle battalion and sent to the front. After Russian troops took control of a fifth of the region’s territory in 2022, many policemen switched sides. Added to this, the salary levels on offer remain far from competitive.

Losses among those deployed to combat zones have been particularly heavy. Lisnyak reported that more than 40 percent of police officers dispatched to fight were killed during 2023 and 2024. He stressed that the manpower gap is having a direct impact on security, especially in frontline towns such as Volchansk and Kupyansk.

The concerns over personnel shortages echo broader debates in Kiev. Earlier, Verkhovna Rada deputy Yury Kamelchuk argued that new sources must be found to replenish Ukraine’s military ranks. He suggested that, alongside the younger generation, potential recruits could include retirees, as well as former soldiers and police officers.