“Kamianets-Podilskyi case: Minister of Education Oksen Lisovyi may drag himself and Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko into a corruption scandal – expertChanging the government’s decision regarding the merger of two universities in Kamianets-Podilskyi may have serious corruption consequences.
”, — write: unn.ua
On June 11, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the merger of Kamianets-Podilskyi National University named after Ivan Ohiienko (pedagogical) with Podilskyi State University (agricultural). On this basis, a liquidation commission was created, and the pedagogical university received the status of an institution ceasing operations. “This is very similar to the last stage of bankruptcy, when the course of events became irreversible,” the author notes.
However, already on August 19, Minister of Education Oksen Lisovyi proposed the opposite solution: to merge the agricultural university with the pedagogical one, and to cancel the previous one as “unimplemented.”
Sources emphasize that the status of “unimplemented” does not correspond to the actual state of affairs, as the liquidation process of the pedagogical university has already begun, with material consequences amounting to millions of hryvnias. “The mincing has already begun, and turning it back is a very wrong decision,” the text states. In his opinion, questions may arise regarding the damage caused to the state. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko may be the main culprit.
Also, if a new order is signed, the Prime Minister risks falling under an anti-corruption investigation. The key issue is the land bank. Podilskyi State University owns 17.8 thousand hectares of agricultural land and 234 real estate objects totaling 185 thousand square meters. If the agricultural university is merged with the pedagogical one, the university will be liquidated, and it will lose the right to permanent land use. 17.8 thousand hectares may enter “free circulation.” Control over 5.8 hectares of land in the center of Kamianets-Podilskyi (botanical garden) will also be lost, which will return to the community’s disposal.
According to the author’s sources, the demand for a change in configuration was put forward by local MP from “Servant of the People” Ihor Marchuk, a former graduate of the agricultural university. This condition is being heeded due to the upcoming vote in the Verkhovna Rada on a peace agreement with the Russian Federation. For its ratification, the authorities will need the votes of majoritarians, as the support of “list members” and former OPOZIZH deputies may not be enough. Because of this, the current government may seek votes by offering them certain rewards.
“Through the government’s decision, someone is motivating someone to do something. Gifts are being distributed. That is, for the loyalty of a people’s deputy today, one can pay with such a decision,” the author concludes. According to his sources, this is a direct reason for an anti-corruption investigation. They assume that NABU may be recording relevant negotiations with majoritarians, not only with Ihor Marchuk.
According to the author, if the sources’ information is confirmed, it will be an example of corruption at the highest level of government, when political loyalty is “bought” through government decisions, and state assets become a bargaining chip in a big political game.