Police have launched an investigation into Bilous, who is accused of harassment

Law enforcement officers have initiated criminal proceedings against Andriy Bilous, a lecturer at the Karpenko-Kary National University of Kyiv and director of the Young Theater.

This was reported by the Kyiv police.

The police are not naming the person involved in the case, but judging by the details, it is about Bilous.

Law enforcement officers learned about the alleged harassment within the educational institutionʼs staff from social networks. In particular, the Shevchenko Police Department received complaints from former students and the university administration.

Investigators have initiated criminal proceedings under Article 153 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — sexual violence.

Currently, investigative actions are ongoing in the criminal proceedings, and police officers are communicating with students and graduates of the educational institution, teachers, and the university administration.

Whatʼs happening at Karpenko-Kary University and the Young Theater

In late January, a student at Karpenko-Kary University Sofia Sapozhnik accused her teacher Andriy Bilous of harassment. She first posted an anonymous video with the accusations on January 21, and a few days later revealed her identity.

According to her, Bilous sent her intimate photos of other female students and asked her to send similar ones, "motivating it by saying that everyone had already done it".

Later, other students of the director began to share similar stories. Actor and university graduate Valeriy Filipenko, who was one of the first to start distributing the video with the story of Sapozhnik, noted that this had long been known among the "theater bubble", but everyone was silent. He called for the distribution of an anonymous form that could be filled out by all those affected by Bilousʼs actions.

Karpenko-Kary University announced on January 23 that it had filed a complaint with the police, asking law enforcement officers to “verify the disseminated information and provide it with a legal assessment”. On January 27, it became known that Bilous had been suspended from work at the university.

Accusations against other cultural figures

Against the backdrop of the story with Bilous, accusations began to be made against other theater figures. For example, actor and teacher at Karpenko-Kary University Yuriy Vysotsky was accused of unethical behavior and violence against students.

Oleksandr Balaban, a director and lecturer at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (KNUKiM), was also accused of harassment and bullying; he has already been suspended from work.

And on February 3, a graduate of KNUKiM told how rector Mykhailo Poplavsky suggested that she play billiards and, if she lost, pay either with a kiss or money.

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