“The main task [of the EU mission to Ukraine] at this stage as we see it is to give an immediate legal assessment to the activities of punitive battalions of the so-called private armies in order to put an end to their atrocities against civilians,” Lukashevich said.
He recalled that the EU advisory mission for civil security sector reform had begun its work in Kiev on December 1.
"We, of course, have paid attention to the launch of the mission. We presume that it will, among other things, contribute to the elimination of nationalist and extremist attitudes in the Ukrainian law enforcement and judicial agencies," Lukashevich added.
Ukrainian volunteer battalions, such as Donbas, Azov and Dnipr, were formed in April after Kiev launched a military operation against militias in eastern Ukraine.
On December 3, Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth expressed deep concerns about the "numerous abuses" committed by pro-Kiev volunteer battalions operating in the country's southeast.
His comments came after the Ukrainian defense minister announced in November he was going to put the volunteer divisions, widely known to be far-right in their ideology, under the command of the country's regular army.
