18.05.2022
The EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM) is returning today to Kyiv, after it was forced to evacuate on 24 February because of Russia’s invasion.
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: “I am glad to announce the redeployment of the European Union Advisory Mission back to Ukraine. In addition to its other tasks, the mission will now support the critical work of the Ukrainian General Prosecutor to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of any international crimes committed in the context of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. Those responsible for atrocities and war crimes, and their accomplices, will be held to account in accordance with international law.”
A core team of 15 EUAM staff is being redeployed to continue contacts with Ukrainian authorities more directly, and support them notably in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Mission plans to gradually increase its international presence in Ukraine throughout the summer, in line with the developing security situation in the country. Currently, the Mission’s temporary headquarters are located in Rszezow in southern Poland.
In the context of the ongoing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Mission has developed new work strands in support of Ukrainian authorities, in addition to its advisory activities under the original mandate. This includes deploying teams to the Ukrainian side of border crossing points with Poland, Slovakia, and Romania to facilitate to flow of people and goods across the border. It also includes supporting Ukrainian authorities, in particular to the Prosecutor General and Law Enforcement Agencies, with investigating and prosecuting international crimes. The Mission is also donating emergency equipment to help its partners.
Background
The EU Advisory Mission supports the Ukrainian civilian security sector through strategic advice, training and the donation of equipment to help law enforcement agencies operate in line with European standards and principles. This will help them become more efficient, effective, and trusted by the public. For further information on the EU Advisory Mission, its 350 staff and advisory activities, please see the Mission’s homepage
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Background on the Mission Team:
Antti Juhani Hartikainen – Head of Mission
Antti Hartikainen has held various senior positions within the Finnish civil service for over 20 years, chiefly at the Ministry of the Interior. He was appointed Director General of the Finnish Customs in 2012 and held this post until joining EUAM as Head of Mission on 1 July 2019. In addition, Mr Hartikainen has amassed significant international experience in the Balkans and the EU neighborhood regions, focusing in particular on border management.
Following stints in senior advisory positions at the EU Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2002-04), and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Georgia (2005), he served as Deputy Head of Mission at the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine from 2005 to 2007. He was then Team Leader and Advisor on Integrated Border Management for the EU Advisory Group to the Republic of Armenia, and Head of Mission for the EU Integrated Border Management Assistance Mission in Libya from 2013-15.
Mr Hartikainen has previously worked in Ukraine, most recently as High Level Expert on Border Management for the High Level Technical and Political Assistance Integrated Border Management Project in Ukraine. He is a graduate of the National Defence University in Helsinki, and apart from his native tongue, he is a fluent speaker of both English and Russian.
Fredrik Wesslau – Deputy Head of Mission
Fredrik Wesslau has spent much of his career working in crisis management and conflict resolution. He has substantial experience of diplomacy and political affairs in conflict environments. A native of Sweden, he worked in Kosovo for the OSCE and UNMIK, including as Special Advisor to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the Strategic Policy Unit.
He has subsequently worked as Political Advisor to the EUSR for the South Caucasus and to the EUSR for Sudan and South Sudan. In both these capacities, he was part of setting up two CSDP missions of the European Union: EUMM Georgia and EUAVSEC South Sudan. He then worked as Country Representative of EUCAP Nestor, focusing on building capacity in the maritime security sector to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia.
Most recently, he was Director of the Wider Europe Programme at the think tank, European Council on Foreign Relations, with a particular focus on EU policy towards Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the Western Balkans. He is the author of The Political Adviser’s Handbook and has previously worked as a journalist, writing mainly for the International Herald Tribune. He was educated in Lund, London, Paris, and New York.
Maura O’Sullivan – Chief of Staff
Maura O’Sullivan has divided her career between law enforcement work in her native Ireland, and international missions, mainly civilian missions of the European Union. She initially graduated as a police officer with ‘An Garda Siochana’, Ireland’s national police force. From 2001 to 2003, she was a lecturer in legal and police studies at the Garda Training College, and later joined its International Department, working in the Europol National Unit and International Coordination Department, and during which time she embarked on her first international mission – as Chief of Reporting with the EU Police Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia in 2006. She also served as an Operations/Planning Officer with EULEX Kosovo in 2008-09.
Since 2010, she has focused exclusively on her international career, first working on a voluntary basis with the International Women’s Association in Georgia, before being appointed as Deputy Head of Field Office at the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia in 2012. This was the first of two posts she held at EUMM, where she would later work as Deputy Head of Operations, the post she held immediately before moving to EUAM. In between, she was a Police Advisor at the OSCE Mission to Skopje in 2015-17, and with her extensive expertise in training and community policing, in 2017-18 she was valued member of EUAM’s Community Policing Unit, working as community policing advisor.
In 2015, she completed a Master’s Degree in International Studies. Prior to joining the police she had completed a Bachelor’s Degree in European Studies.
Udo Möller – Head of Operations
With more than 45 years of experience in police work, Udo Möller has served as a senior police officer in Germany as well as in various peacekeeping and international capacity-building missions. During his career, he has gained extensive experience in strategic and operational policing in conflict and post-conflict environments.
His national career started in 1970 as a patrol officer in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, where he would eventually become Chief of Police. He served as Deputy Head of Mission at the EU Support to the African Union Mission (Darfur), Head of Police at EULEX in Kosovo, and as principal and senior adviser and project manager for various EU and UN peacekeeping missions.
Mr Möller also had a part-time political career between 1989 and 2006, enjoying roles as a member of regional parliament, member of county parliament and Chairman of a governing body of the Municipality Bank Institute for five years.
Before being appointed Head of Operations at EUAM Ukraine in August 2016, Mr Möller served as both Head of the Regional Outreach Component and as Head of the Law-Enforcement Component in the Mission. He led the Enhanced Regional Outreach Team that in 2015 created the ‘Sambir Police Project’ in the Lviv Region, which had the objective of building the trust of Ukrainian citizens in the police outside of the largest cities.