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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
At V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University 24 in September there will be elections for rector, contested by the current acting head of the university Tetyana Kahanovska and the dean of the Faculty of Physics, NAS of Ukraine academician Ruslan Vovk. Voting is scheduled in Kharkiv from 9:00 to 18:00 at two polling stations — on Freedom Square, 4 and 6.
Both candidates hold professorial titles and academic degrees. Kahanovska is a Doctor of Juridical Sciences, professor; Vovk is a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, professor. The university’s official election page contains both candidates’ programs and the organizational committee and election commission documents, media report. Kahanovska has headed the university since winning the rector election in 2021. Then, in the first round she received 991 votes, or 39,79%, while Ruslan Vovk received 153 votes, or 6,14%, and did not advance to the second round. Kahanovska won that electoral cycle in the second round.
In 2026 the university officially registered Kahanovska and Vovk as the two candidates for rector. The election campaign includes meetings of the contenders with staff collectives and students. In particular, the university published separate schedules of such meetings, during which candidates present their programs and answer questions from the university community.
Ruslan Vovk has worked at Karazin University since 1990. According to his official biography, he progressed from engineer and research associate to professor, and since 2013 he has headed the Faculty of Physics as dean. His scientific specialization is related to low-temperature physics, superconductivity, and nanosystems physics.
In 2024 Vovk was elected an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the specialty “Physics of Nanosystems.” The university website also states that he is the author of over 390 scientific works, co-author of monographs and patents, and that candidate and doctoral dissertations were defended under his supervision.
Kahanovska has a legal education and an academic career in the field of law. The university site names her as Doctor of Juridical Sciences and professor. In February 2026 the Academic Council of the university elected Kahanovska its chair; 78 council members took part in that meeting.
Her family background became part of the public discussion around the previous and current election campaigns. Kahanovska is the daughter of Yevhen Kushnaryov — a former mayor of Kharkiv, head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration and head of the Administration of President Leonid Kuchma. Kushnaryov was one of the well-known figures of the Party of Regions and a political ally of Viktor Yanukovych. These biographical circumstances were described in the Ukrainian media; however, the family ties themselves do not indicate political or other unlawful activity by Kahanovska.
Separately, Kahanovska’s asset declaration for 2025 is publicly available. The document was submitted to the Unified State Register of Declarations on 27 March 2026. According to the declaration, the listed real estate includes apartments, land plots and other properties, and among the incomes are salary at the university and compensation for damaged or destroyed property. The declaration’s information alone does not establish violations of the law.
Media have also previously published allegations of possible plagiarism in Kahanovska’s scientific works. Those reports were based on materials provided to journalists by anonymous sources. There are no public data in the sources used about a decision by a competent authority that would establish academic plagiarism by Kahanovska within the current election campaign, so such allegations cannot be presented as established fact.
The media space also discusses the business activities of her husband, Oleksandr Kahanovsky. The wife’s declaration lists corporate rights and the husband’s income from entrepreneurial activity. Among the companies associated with him are entities in asset management, real estate and other areas. The mere fact that a family member of a university official owns a business is not proof of a conflict of interest or a violation of law.
At the same time Ruslan Vovk has a long academic career at Karazin University. According to his official biography, he graduated from Kharkiv State University in 1990, after which he worked in the Department of Low-Temperature Physics. Later he held positions as research associate, professor and head of department, and since 2013 he headed the Faculty of Physics.
Official university materials also characterize Vovk as a scientist working in the field of low-temperature physics and superconductivity. He is a member of the Academic Council of the university and other advisory bodies, and his scientific works are represented in international databases.
Ahead of the election various media characterizations and claims about both candidates’ professional and family backgrounds are circulating. Some of them have documentary confirmation in open registers or official university materials, while other assessments and accusations come from publications and statements of sources and do not have the status of established facts.
The official election procedure is currently underway. On 16 September the organizational committee made a decision on the number of polling stations and the composition of precinct election commissions. The university also published the programs of the two candidates, and on 24 September a direct secret ballot is to take place. The result will be determined by the voting of electors formed in accordance with the established procedure for electing the head of an institution of higher education.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Тетяна Кагановська та Руслан Вовк: брудні вибори ректора Каразіна". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Fraza.
