KNU Rector Bugrov Has Been Fired: What Is the Reason?
29 April 14:39
Volodymyr Bugrov has been dismissed from his position as rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Elections for the university’s new rector are scheduled for May 27, 2026.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the KNU Student Parliament.
On its Telegram channel, the KNU Student Parliament posted a photo of the relevant order from the Ministry of Education.
According to the published order from the Ministry of Education and Science, Bugrov was dismissed due to the expiration of his contract, which was signed in 2021.
The KNU Student Parliament noted that following the ruling by the Kyiv Court of Appeals, Volodymyr Bugrov will not be able to participate in the university rector elections, which will take place on May 27. An acting rector will be appointed until then.
Bugrov himself confirmed in a comment to hromadske that he had been relieved of his duties, but emphasized that this was a standard procedure.
Bugrov called claims that he allegedly cannot participate in the rector election “an exaggeration.”
“The Law of Ukraine ‘On Higher Education’ states that individuals who have been held administratively liable for corruption offenses are not eligible. But if you look at this article—violation of financial control requirements, which is what I was accused of—it is not a corruption offense, but an offense related to corruption. From a legal standpoint, this is the law on preventing corruption—they are different things… I was held administratively liable with nothing more than a fine, not even suspension from office,” Bugrov said.
He announced that he is already submitting documents to run for the position of rector again.
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What led up to this?
Earlier, the Court of Appeals rejected Volodymyr Bugrov’s appeal against the Shevchenkivskyi District Court’s ruling regarding the submission of inaccurate data in his declaration. In December 2025, the NACP reported the results of an audit that revealed inaccurate data amounting to approximately 900,000 hryvnias.
In late February, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv found that Bugrov had failed to declare a 2015 Volkswagen Golf in his declaration, which, according to the court’s conclusion, he used free of charge during the reporting period, and imposed a fine of 17,000 hryvnias. Bugrov disagreed with the charges and filed an appeal.
Bugrov himself called the case a “political smear campaign” allegedly intended to prevent him from participating in the election for the university’s new rector.
In addition, a scandal erupted around the university in early April: a video was circulated online showing a man, allegedly resembling Bugrov, in an intimate context.
The authors of the posts claimed that the video depicted him exchanging messages with female students and university employees. This sparked protests outside the Red Building of KNU. Bugrov himself rejected these accusations and called the situation an act of pressure.
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