Vitaliy Kim, Head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, wrote his PhD dissertation during the war: he is preparing to defend it
13 July 13:22
Vitaliy Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, is preparing to defend his dissertation to earn a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Management. This was brought to light by the civic organization “Chervonyi Huber,” which published information about the upcoming defense, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the organization, the topic of Kim’s dissertation focuses on the transformation of Ukraine’s maritime industry. At the same time, the NGO notes that work on the dissertation spanned from 2019 to 2026—a period that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and Kim’s tenure as head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration.
“Almost the entire period of writing the dissertation (from 2019 to 2026) coincided with the pandemic, a full-scale war, and his ongoing work as head of the Regional State Administration. Therefore, it is extremely intriguing to wonder exactly when Kim personally conducted research, interviewed experts, wrote articles, and worked on a 250-page dissertation,” the NGO’s statement reads.
In its statement, the organization also draws parallels with other high-profile cases involving public figures defending their academic theses. In particular, it mentions former People’s Deputy Ilya Kiva, boxer Oleksandr Usyk, and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
As of the time of publication, no official comments have been released by Vitaliy Kim or the university regarding the statements made by the NGO “Chervonyi Huber.”
As a reminder, in March of last year, renowned boxer Oleksandr Usyk defended his dissertation at Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. Usyk was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in the field of “law.”
