MELITOPOL, June 9. /TASS/. The first members of the Zaporozhye Region People's Volunteer Militia, who will patrol the region's communities together with the police and military commandant's office, have taken the oath, the acting regional governor, Yevgeny Balitsky, said on Friday.

"The People's Volunteer Militia has been established in the Zaporozhye Region, which, together with the police and military commandant’s office, will patrol and maintain law and order in the region’s communities. Today, the first members of the People's Volunteer Militia took an oath of loyalty to the Zaporozhye Region and its citizens. I believe in the openness of our compatriots' hearts, in their tenacity and their readiness to lend a hand. Such qualities tend to come to the fore and manifest themselves vividly in difficult times," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

In March 2023, Balitsky signed a decree "On the formation of the Zaporozhye Region People's Volunteer Militia," which will be tasked with protecting public order and the region’s vitally important facilities, as well as protecting state property and the property of citizens. The head of the region clarified that all volunteers would serve while maintaining their regular civilian occupations. All adult citizens of the Russian Federation and stateless persons permanently residing in the region are eligible to sign up for the People's Volunteer Militia.