Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
An open letter addressed to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Andrii Butenko, was submitted to our editorial office on behalf of an initiative group of teachers, staff, representatives of student self-government, and the united community of graduates of Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (KNUKiM). The authors of the appeal demand that the decision to extend the powers of acting university president Ihor Komarnytskyi be revoked, that an open competition for the position of head of the institution be announced immediately, and that an independent audit of the activities of one of the university’s faculties be conducted.
In the letter, the authors state that the change in long-term leadership at KNUKiM was supposed to be an opportunity to change the university’s management model and return the institution to academic and scientific development. At the same time, they assert that the appointment and subsequent extension of the acting head’s powers did not live up to those expectations. Read also: Rector from a roadside “brothel”: The Ministry of Education put Ihor Komarnytskyi, who is wanted by investigators, at the head of KNUKiM “For decades our university was systematically pushed out of Ukraine’s academic and scientific space. Instead of developing scientific schools, the institution was turned into a commercial show platform,” the appeal says. The authors link the university’s previous period of development to the long-term leadership of Mykhailo Poplavskyi and critically assess what they consider the resulting management model. They state that after the leadership change the university should have had the opportunity for a “cleansing” and restoration of its academic role. As previously reported, in February 2026 the Ministry of Education and Science appointed Ihor Komarnytskyi as acting head of KNUKiM following the end of Mykhailo Poplavskyi’s contract, who had led the university for decades. In the state registry EDEBO as of August 2026 Ihor Komarnytskyi is listed as acting president of Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. The appeal states that, according to the authors, the term of the order appointing Komarnytskyi as acting head expired on 5 August 2026. At the same time, the previous head of the Ministry of Education and Science, the authors claim, extended this appointment by another six months on their last day in office. The initiative group believes that this decision delayed the initiation of an open procedure to elect a new head of the university. “In this way, the launch of an open competition was deliberately blocked and an attempt was made to preserve the influence of a corrupt clan,” the authors state. A separate section of the appeal is devoted to the authors’ claims about possible criminal proceedings and procedural actions regarding Komarnytskyi. The letter contains statements about alleged criminal investigations, in particular under Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and part three of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The authors also claim that after the appointment of the new minister of education and science, sanctioned searches were allegedly carried out against the person involved in the relevant criminal proceedings. “Further sanctioned searches of the person involved took place after 7 August 2026,” the letter says. At the same time, the authors of the appeal propose that the Ministry of Education and Science verify the presented information independently by sending official inquiries to the Office of the Prosecutor General and other law enforcement agencies. “The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine can promptly obtain official confirmation of these facts by sending the appropriate request to the Office of the Prosecutor General and law enforcement agencies,” the appeal says. The letter also contains claims about an alleged conflict situation within the university. The authors state that Komarnytskyi, in their assessment, exerts pressure on part of the faculty and university staff. “While under investigation, I. Komarnytskyi displays inadequate, aggressive behavior toward employees, exerting pressure on the teaching staff,” the authors assert. They also claim that the situation, in their view, creates risks for the normal operation of the university and for the safety of its staff. A significant portion of the appeal is dedicated to the start of the new academic year. In the authors’ view, leadership issues take on special importance ahead of the start of the academic process and concern students, their parents, and teachers. The letter states that more than 5 thousand students study at the university. The authors believe that students together with the institution’s staff must be given the opportunity to participate in the lawful procedure to elect a permanent head of the university. “More than 5 000 KNUKiM students and the staff are deprived of the right to elect a legitimate, honest, and academically independent rector,” the authors state. Another section of the letter contains serious allegations about the possible use of university infrastructure and students in unlawful schemes. The authors claim they have testimonies from victims and female graduates of the university. In particular, the letter contains allegations of possible sexual exploitation of female students and their possible involvement in activities not related to the educational process. The authors link these allegations to the period when Komarnytskyi worked in one of the university’s units and demand that competent authorities investigate the information presented. “Available testimonies from victims and female graduates of the university indicate facts of sexual exploitation of female students,” the letter says. The authors also claim that, according to their information, the educational process, student housing, and administrative mechanisms may have been used to create dependence of female students on participation in certain commercial projects. The letter alleges a possible connection of such episodes with restaurant business establishments associated with Mykhailo Poplavskyi. The appeal states that, in the authors’ view, these allegations should be the subject of a separate investigation. In addition, the initiative group critically evaluates Komarnytskyi’s professional path leading to his appointment as acting head of the university. The authors claim that his prior experience, in their assessment, was closely linked to Mykhailo Poplavskyi’s business environment. The appeal contains assertions that Komarnytskyi previously held positions related to support and management of the restaurant business, and about possible business ties between his family and the Poplavskyi family. “This is not management, it is capitulation to a private business clan,” the authors state. The authors also claim that Komarnytskyi’s family has joint business interests with members of the Poplavskyi family, in particular in land business. Separately, the letter speculates about a possible connection between Komarnytskyi’s professional activities and private educational structures. The authors cite all these circumstances as grounds for an independent investigation and, in their view, consider them incompatible with the need to ensure the academic independence of a state university. One of the central demands of the letter is to hold an open competition for the permanent head of KNUKiM. The authors refer to the requirements of higher education law and state that the appointment of an acting rector should not be used as a mechanism for prolonged postponement of the election procedure. “Instead of fulfilling the requirements of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Higher Education’ regarding the immediate announcement of an open personnel competition, the appointment of an acting rector artificially blocks the elections,” the appeal says. The former head of the university, the letter alleges, likely pursues the main goal of delaying the rector elections, and in closed circles allegedly speaks about elections in the country and the replacement of President Zelensky, after which he would return to the university again, as allegedly happened repeatedly under the previous authorities. The authors call on the Minister of Education and Science to cancel the order of the previous leadership of the Ministry, which, according to them, extended the period of Ihor Komarnytskyi’s acting head duties. Their second demand is the immediate announcement of an open and transparent personnel competition. “We demand the immediate announcement of an open and transparent personnel competition for the position of rector of KNUKiM in accordance with the Law of Ukraine ‘On Higher Education,’ guaranteeing 5 000 students and faculty the right to fair voting,” the letter says. The third demand is an independent audit of the financial and economic activities and document flow of the Faculty of Hotel and Restaurant Business for the period of Ihor Komarnytskyi’s leadership. The authors state that the new leadership of the Ministry of Education and Science has the opportunity to review personnel decisions made by the previous ministry leadership. “You have taken office with the opportunity and duty to correct the critical personnel mistakes and abuses of the previous leadership,” the appeal says. The initiative group also warns that if there is no response to the appeal, it intends to ensure wide public and media exposure of the situation. “If these facts are ignored, we will ensure powerful media coverage on leading television channels, in the press, and on social networks,” the authors state. According to them, the appeal is supported by a wide community of graduates and teachers of the university, among whom, the letter claims, are People’s and Merited Artists of Ukraine, as well as representatives of the theatrical arts, media, and television. “This matter will not be closed easily — we have enormous support from everyone who cares about the fate of our alma mater, and we will bring the struggle to restore legality to a victorious end,” the authors state. The letter is signed on behalf of the “initiative group of teachers, staff, student self-government, and the united community of KNUKiM graduates.”
The editorial office is ready to publish the position of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Ihor Komarnytskyi, Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, and law enforcement agencies regarding the claims and demands made in the open appeal.
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Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Викладачі та випускники КНУКіМ вимагають звільнення Ігоря Комарніцького, - звернення". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Fraza.