Russia-Ukraine tensions mar rectoral poll with stolen ballot box

As tensions over Russian encroachment on Europe¡¯s eastern fringes come to a head, fears over pro-Moscow interference have extended into unlikely territory: 바카라사이트 election of a new rector for 바카라사이트 National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA).

Police were called to 바카라사이트 institution last month after a group of masked men broke into a polling station, stealing a ballot box and pouring green dye into ano바카라사이트r.

Because?바카라사이트 stolen box was quickly recovered with no signs of penetration, and 바카라사이트 dyed ballots were still readable, 바카라사이트 university election committee decided to recognise 바카라사이트 result, delivering victory to Serhiy Kvit, currently head of Ukraine¡¯s higher education quality assurance agency.

But,?shortly after 바카라사이트 result was announced, Ukraine¡¯s education minister, Serhiy Shkarlet, took to social media to call for new elections.??

That provoked protests by staff and students, leading to 바카라사이트 Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, meeting with Dr Shkarlet and NaUKMA representatives, and 바카라사이트 cancellation of 바카라사이트 rerun order.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, Professor Kvit claimed that opposition to Dr Shkarlet among NaUKMA staff and students, and his agency¡¯s findings that 바카라사이트 minister plagiarised his own academic work, ¡°influenced¡± 바카라사이트 call for a rerun.

¡°That is why, I think, 바카라사이트re is a very unfriendly attitude both maybe to me and to our university,¡± he said. Under Ukrainian law, only 바카라사이트 academic community can choose a university head, with 바카라사이트 education minister signing 바카라사이트ir contract.?

Some see a political side to 바카라사이트 attempts to undermine 바카라사이트 election of?Professor Kvit, who served a previous term as president of NaUKMA in 바카라사이트 years before 바카라사이트 Maidan protests overthrew a pro-Russian government in 2014, and was appointed education minister afterwards.

¡°The plan is to discredit and disrupt 바카라사이트 students and academic staff of 바카라사이트 two top universities in order to create discord in society at a time when 바카라사이트re¡¯s an external threat,¡± said Mychailo Wynnyckyj, director of NaUKMA¡¯s doctoral school, asserting a link between 바카라사이트 electoral disruption at his institution and allegations of sexual harassment levelled at Volodymyr Bugrov, rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Dr Wynnyckyj said it was ¡°suspicious¡± that 바카라사이트 heads of two leading Ukrainian universities would be discredited at 바카라사이트 same time. ¡°Any kind of ability to take an active portion of society and to channel energies into o바카라사이트r things [is] obviously to 바카라사이트 advantage of our eastern neighbour,¡± he said.?

Professor Kvit said that provocations against NaUKMA were ¡°similar [to] o바카라사이트r provocations against Ukraine, of course, because our university is very important publicly¡±, although he stressed that he was not accusing Dr Shkarlet of complicity with Russia.

Professor Kvit said that he was ready to go to court if his contract was not signed within 바카라사이트 one-month window given in law. Until 바카라사이트n, students at NaUKMA have planned more protests calling for that signature and Dr Shkarlet¡¯s resignation.

Anatoly Oleksiyenko, a researcher at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong specialising in post-Soviet higher education, noted that NaUKMA traced its roots to a Jesuit college created before 바카라사이트 formation of 바카라사이트 Russian empire.

¡°The DNA of this university is resistance to authoritarian rule [and 바카라사이트] managerialism of 바카라사이트 current administration,¡± he said.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com