In Kyiv, students protest against the possible appointment of Andriy Vitrenko as Minister of Education
14 July 20:19
on July 14, students rallied in Kyiv’s Arsenal Square against the possible appointment of Andriy Vitrenko as Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.
The rally was organized by representatives of leading Ukrainian universities and student organizations – the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), Kyiv Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA), the organization “Ukrainian Students for Freedom” (USF) and the Ukrainian Association of Students (UAS), Ukrayinska Pravda reports, "Komersant Ukrainian".
Dialogue police were on the scene. The organizers informed the National Police and the Kyiv City Military Administration about the action.
Protesters’ demands:
- To prevent Vitrenko’s appointment as the head of the Ministry of Education and Science.
- Dismiss him from the post of Deputy Minister of Education.
The head of the UCU student government, Oleksandr Lypynsky, said that the protest was a response to media reports that named Vitrenko as the main candidate for the post of minister. The students emphasize that if Vitrenko is appointed minister or acting minister, the actions will continue regularly.
“We believe that the Minister of Education cannot be a plagiarist, corrupt official, supporter of Shkarlet and a person who does not consider students to be subjective,” said Marko Stemkovsky, head of the UCU Student Council.
What is known about Andriy Vitrenko:
- He was born in Mykolaiv.
- He graduated from the Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics (economics) and taught at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
- In 2020, he became Deputy Minister of Education under the leadership of Serhiy Shkarlet.
- In 2022, he publicly supported Shkarlet, accusing the student protesters of a “political show.”
- After Shkarlet’s dismissal, he remained in the ministry under Minister Oksana Lisova.
- According to journalistic investigations, he is mentioned in the Komarnitsky tapes related to corruption schemes in the Kyiv City State Administration. Denys Komarnytskyi was allegedly the lobbyist for his political career, with the participation of Mykola Tyshchenko and the head of the OP Andrii Yermak.
Plagiarism in scientific works:
In 2025, activists recorded signs of plagiarism in six scientific publications and Vitrenko’s PhD thesis. It was found that he incorrectly “borrowed” materials from Russian and Kazakh scientists.
