Public organization National Brigades works for free, without using weapons and not for the benefit of political forces. This was stated at a press conference on Wednesday by its commander Ihor Mykhaylenko, Ukrainska Pravda reports with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, the organization already has about a thousand members.
"We have done a lot of work in the public sector during the year, basically we are patrolling, and this does not mean that we are carrying out detention or checking documents", - he said.
Mykhaylenko noted that the presence of vigilantes on the streets of the city deters crime. He said that there were several cases in Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv when activists detained thieves and drug sellers and handed them over to the National Police. He stressed that the activists do not support any of the politicians.
"In 2014, the Ukrainian people experienced an extraordinary emotional upsurge, but the current government missed it and spoiled the economy and the power bloc. How can our organization feel about such politicians? Of course, our opinion is negative", - he said.
He also noted that members of the organization do not receive salaries or rewards and do not take money from anyone. "This situation is not even considered, we do not pay our activists for participation, they join us of free of charge", - Mykhaylenko said.
As he said, vigilantes train in gyms and learn how to use weapons.
"Those, who have served in the National Guard, train new members. We are the force that, in the event of 2014 repetition, will be the first to defend the borders of Ukraine", - he said.
Speaking of plans for the future, the commander of the National Brigades noted that the activists would not patrol the streets like patrol police.
"We also do not intend to persecute people of non-Ukrainian nationality. Our members were Georgians, Russians, Belarusians, they all advocate the protection of Ukrainian nationalism", - he stressed.
As previously reported, on January 28, the National Corps party held "swearing-in" ceremony in the center of the Ukrainian capital.