A member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces accused the police of sowing hatred between the military and law enforcement officers

In Dnipro, Ukrainian patrol officers stopped a car driven by a Belarusian volunteer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces named Andrey Bessmertny, citing a pretext related to his license plates. They searched his vehicle and took the soldier to a medical center for alcohol and drug testing.

Andrey Bessmertny shared this incident on his Instagram account.

According to the Belarusian volunteer, he was returning from the frontlines and had a breakdown with his car in Dnipro. He had it towed to an auto repair shop and rented another vehicle with European license plates. He had only driven about 500 meters when the police pulled him over. Bessmertny complied with all their requests, showed the necessary documents, and inquired about the reason for the stop. Patrol officer Anton responded that his car had “foreign plates.”

Later, the officer became concerned about the soldier’s condition and asked if Andrey had used drugs. Bessmertny denied it, explaining his tired appearance by stating that he hadn’t slept properly for three days. Following this, the officers thoroughly searched his vehicle, checked his weapons, and insisted that he undergo testing at a medical center. The tests for alcohol and drugs came back negative.

After the examination, the authorities refused to provide a ride back to his vehicle, so Bessmertny had to call a taxi. He noted that some of the police officers reacted with surprise to the actions of their colleagues.

“In the end, a tired group of soldiers stood in the cold, waiting for me for one and a half hours, while I had to prove to the ‘police’ that this is what a tired soldier looks like, not a drunk or a drug addict. It’s disheartening when law enforcement treats people, especially soldiers, this way. The discord between the military and the police is sown precisely by the police who fuel hatred with their actions,” believes the Belarusian volunteer.