# State Emergency Service of Ukraine

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Державна служба України з надзвичайних ситуацій, romanized: Derzhavna sluzhba Ukrainy z nadzvychainykh sytuatsii), until December 24, 2012 named the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Міністерство надзвичайних ситуацій України, romanized: Ministerstvo nadzvychainykh sytuatsii Ukrainy) is the main executive body tasked with carrying out state policy in the spheres of civil defence, rescue, creating and managing the system of insurance fund documentation, utilization of radioactive wastes, protection of population and territory in emergency situations, emergency prevention and response, liquidation in the aftermath, and the Chernobyl catastrophe. They represent Ukraine's sole fire & rescue service.
It is abbreviated as ДСНС [України]. It also directly administers the zone of alienation located just north of Kyiv.
Under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the agency's motto is "To prevent. To rescue. To help." (Ukrainian: Запобігти. Врятувати. Допомогти)

## History

The former ministry was created in 1996 with the merger of the state civil defense body and the Ukrainian ministry in charge of protecting the population from the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe. Until 1991, the latter was a state committee of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, while state civil defense was part of the USSR's All-Union civil defense network.
In 2003, the ministry took over control of the firefighting service, previously under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (militsiya). The ministry had been part of the military reserve of the Ukrainian armed forces, but after the 2003 reform and fire services merger, all militarized formations were dissolved, and in 2005, the agency became officially non-military and focused on rescue services.
Until the administrative reform of December 9, 2010, the body was called Ministry of Ukraine in emergencies and the protection of the population from the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. After the reform, three major central executive power bodies were directly subordinated to it:
* State service of mining supervision and industrial safety of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Державна служба гірничого нагляду та промислової безпеки України, Russian: Державна служба гірничого нагляду та промислової безпеки України)
* State agency of Ukraine of the administration of the zone of alienation (Ukrainian: Державне агентство України з управління зоною відчуження, Russian: Государственное агентство Украины по управлению зоной отчуждения)
* State inspection of technogenic safety of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Державна інспекція техногенної безпеки України, Russian: Государственная инспекция техногенной безопасности Украины)

### Other agencies

* State department of fire-prevention security (see firefighting)
* State search and rescue aviation service: Ukraviaposhuk
* State hydro-meteorological service
* State department of the insurance documentation fund of the Ministry
On December 24, 2012, the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine was transformed into the State Emergency Service and placed under jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence. On 25 April 2014, the service was transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

## Structure
### Main body

* Central Bureau of Emergency Situations

### Specialized formations

* State militarized mining rescue brigade (Kryvyi Rih)
* Dnipro militarized mining rescue brigade

### Other agencies

* Ukrainian Hydro-meteorological Center
* Ukrainian Aviation Meteorological Center
* Main Aviation Coordination Center of search and rescue
* "Rescuer"-Inform Information Analytical Center
* Center of Civil Security 112
* Mobile Rescue Center (Kyiv)
* Odesa Sanatorium (Odesa)

## List of heads of the State Emergency Service

| Ministry | Name | Term of office | Term of office |
| Ministry | Name | Start | End |
| Emergency Minister | Davyd Zhvania | February 4, 2005 | September 27, 2005 |
| Emergency Minister | Viktor Baloha | September 27, 2005 | October 5, 2006 |
| Emergency Minister | Nestor Shufrych | October 5, 2006 | ? |
| Ministry of Defense | Mykhaylo Bolotskykh | December 24, 2012 | March 2, 2014 |
| Ministry of Defense Ministry of Internal Affairs | Serhiy Bochkovsky | March 2, 2014 | March 25, 2015 |
| Ministry of Internal Affairs | Zoryan Shkiryak (acting) | March 25, 2015 | May 14, 2015 |
| Ministry of Internal Affairs | Mykola Chechotkin | May 14, 2015 | November 10, 2021 |
| Ministry of Internal Affairs | Serhii Kruk | February 16, 2022 | August 25, 2023 |
| Ministry of Internal Affairs | Volodymyr Demchuk (acting) | August 24, 2023 | February 27, 2024 |
| Ministry of Internal Affairs | Andrii Danyk | February 27, 2024 |

### Former agency executives (prior to 2012 reorganisation)
#### List of former chiefs of state civil defense

| Prime-Minister(s) | Name | Term of office | Term of office |
| Prime-Minister(s) | Name | Start | End |
| Vitold Fokin, Leonid Kuchma, Vitali Masol | Mykola Bondarchuk | August 24, 1991 | October 1993 |
| Vitali Masol, Yevhen Marchuk, Pavlo Lazarenko | Lt.Gen. Viktor Grechaninov | October 1993 | May 1997 |

#### List of ministers of emergencies

| Prime-Minister(s) | Name | Term of office | Term of office |
| Prime-Minister(s) | Name | Start | End |
| Vitold Fokin, Leonid Kuchma, Vitaliy Masol | Heorhiy Hotovchyts | August 24, 1991 | December 31, 1994 |
| Vitaliy Masol, Yevhen Marchuk, Pavlo Lazarenko | Volodymyr Holosha | December 31, 1994 | August 31, 1996 |
| Pavlo Lazarenko, Valeriy Pustovoitenko | Valeriy Kalchenko | August 31, 1996 | February 8, 1999 |
| Valeriy Pustovoitenko, Viktor Yushchenko, Anatoli Kinakh, Viktor Yanukovych | Vasyl Durdynets | February 8, 1999 | November 30, 2002 |
| Viktor Yanukovych | Hryhoriy Reva | November 30, 2002 | February 4, 2005 |
| Yulia Tymoshenko, Yuri Yekhanurov | David Zhvaniya | February 4, 2005 | September 27, 2005 |
| Yuri Yekhanurov, Viktor Yanukovych | Viktor Baloha | September 27, 2005 | September 15, 2006 |
| Viktor Yanukovych | Nestor Shufrych | September 15, 2006 | December 18, 2007 |
| Yulia Tymoshenko | Volodymyr Shandra | December 18, 2007 | March 11, 2010 |
| Mykola Azarov | Nestor Shufrych | March 11, 2010 | July 10, 2010 |
| Mykola Azarov | Mykhailo Bolotskykh (acting) | July 10, 2010 | November 12, 2010 |
| Mykola Azarov | Viktor Baloha | November 12, 2010 | 20 November 2012 |

## Ranks

| Rank group | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers |
| | | | Генерал служби цивільного захисту України General of Emergency Services | Генерал служби цивільного захисту України General of Emergency Services | Генерал-полковник Colonel General | Генерал-полковник Colonel General | Генерал-лейтенант Lieutenant General | Генерал-лейтенант Lieutenant General | Генерал-майор Major General | Генерал-майор Major General | Полковник Colonel | Полковник Colonel | Підполковник Lieutenant Colonel | Підполковник Lieutenant Colonel | Майор Major | Майор Major | Капітан Kapitan | Капітан Kapitan | Старший лейтенант Senior lieutenant | Старший лейтенант Senior lieutenant | Лейтенант Leitenant | Лейтенант Leitenant | Молодший лейтенант Junior lieutenant | Молодший лейтенант Junior lieutenant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant | Kурсант Kursant |
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted |
| | Головний майстер-сержант Chief master sergeant | Головний майстер-сержант Chief master sergeant | Головний майстер-сержант Chief master sergeant | Головний майстер-сержант Chief master sergeant | Головний майстер-сержант Chief master sergeant | Головний майстер-сержант Chief master sergeant | Майстер-сержант Master sergeant | Майстер-сержант Master sergeant | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Сержант Sergeant | Сержант Sergeant | Сержант Sergeant | Сержант Sergeant | | | | | | | | | Рядовий Private | Рядовий Private |

## Medals

* 25 years in service
* 20 years in service
* 15 years in service
* 10 years in service
* For bravery in an emergency
* For honorable service

## State Emergency Service Aviation

The Special Aviation Unit and Operational Rescue Service of the State Emergency Service (Спеціальний авіаційний загін оперативно-рятувальної служби цивільного захисту) is based in the city of Nizhyn.
The Special Aviation Unit can work independently or in cooperation with other State Emergency Service units to protect population and territory, material and cultural values and the environment during emergencies, especially for work performed under difficult conditions.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | In service |
| Fixed-wing aircraft |||||
| An-32P | Ukraine | Aerial firefighting | 4 |
| An-26 | Ukraine | Transport Aircraft | 3 |
| An-30 | Ukraine | Aerial Surveillance and Aerial Photography | 2 |
| Helicopters |||||
| Mi-8 | Ukraine | Multipurpose Helicopter | 14 |
| Eurocopter EC145 | France | Medevac Helicopter | |
| Eurocopter H225 | France | SAR | 4 |

## Gallery

* The main Lviv fire station
* A State Emergency Service Antonov An-32 firefighting aircraft dropping water on a forest fire
* Fire engines and emergency service personnel responding to an incident in Kyiv, 2010
* An Emergency Service EC145 helicopter landing in Kyiv
* Emergency service equipment on display in Donetsk, 2011
* The EC225 Super Puma that crashed on January 18, 2023 killing Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky, his deputy Yevhen Yenin, State Secretary Yurii Lubkovych and 11 other people photographed in November 2020