KIEV, October 2 /TASS/. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on Thursday that Ukraine’s National Guard has assumed a new function of protecting Ukraine’s state border. “Ukraine’s National Guard which was created several months ago has assumed yet another new function to protect the state border,” Avakov said at a meeting of his People’s Front political party.

He added that the volunteers and the border guards would join their efforts.

“We are planning to unite the volunteers with the border guards,” Avakov said.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said, in turn, that he was going to submit the question of the Interior Ministry reform and the creation of a special assault unit like the US SWAT in the Interior Ministry system to the government’s consideration.

According to Avakov, many patriotically-mined volunteers in Ukraine have gained combat experience. “We should use this force,” Avakov said.

He noted that Ukraine will go ahead with its project of a wall on the border with Russia. “We are constantly working over this project. The prime minister is holding regular meetings and making necessary arrangements. I think we will be able to discuss the first results in the next few days,” Avakov said.

Clashes between Ukrainian troops and local militias in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have claimed some 3,500 lives, according to the UN, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee Ukraine’s war-torn east.