Former rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU) Volodymyr Buhrov will not be able to participate in the rector elections of the institution next year. The elections are scheduled for October.
The information about the denial of admission to Babel was confirmed by the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) in response to a request.
The Ministry of Education and Science refers to Article 42 of the Law "On Higher Education" — it provides that a person who has been fined for an offense related to corruption cannot be the head of an educational institution. Such a restriction is imposed for a period of one year after the court decision enters into force.
On February 27, Buhrov was found guilty under Part 4 of Article 172-6 of the Code of Administrative Offenses — in the case of failure to declare a car, and was then fined UAH 17 000. And on April 28, the appeal confirmed this verdict.
"Accordingly, within a year from the moment the court decision enters into legal force, there is a restriction on the election or appointment of this person as the head of a higher education institution," the Ministry of Education and Science said in a response to Babel.
The ministry also said that they additionally requested scientific and legal opinions from the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University and the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine — and they confirmed the existence of grounds for the candidateʼs non-admission, in accordance with current legislation. MES also took into account the position of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAPC) on anti-corruption restrictions during the election of the head of the KNU.
"The Ministry of Education and Science exercises the powers of the founder and is obliged to verify the compliance of applicants with the requirements of the law. If a legislative restriction applies to an applicant, the Ministry of Education and Science cannot include him in the list of candidates for voting. University autonomy provides for elections, but elections must be held in a legal manner. It is compliance with the procedure that guarantees the legitimacy of the future leader, protects the university from appeals, and maintains confidence in the results of the competition," the department concluded.
Babel reached out to Buhrov himself for comment on this information. He said that he was not aware of the results of the MES inspection.
"The lawyers I work with are studying all these issues and will propose options for action," he added.
- Volodymyr Buhrov was the rector of the Shevchenko National University of Kyiv from April 2021 to the end of April 2026 — he was dismissed because his term in office expired. Despite the April appeal decision in his case, he said that he was running for the position of rector and had already submitted the necessary documents.
- The rectorʼs elections were scheduled for May 27, but the Ministry of Education and Science postponed them to October this year.
- In early April of this year, Buhrov found himself at the center of a sexual scandal over an intimate video filmed in one of the KNU classrooms. It shows a man who looks like Buhrov.
- The video claims that the rector also targeted female students and university employees, to whom he sent intimate photos and had intimate correspondence. Buhrov denies involvement, and students protested over the video.
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