The change in the government’s decision regarding the merger of Kamianets-Podilskyi Pedagogical University and Podillia Agrarian University raises concerns due to potential corruption risks and political bargaining ahead of a vote in the Verkhovna Rada on a peace deal with Russia, writes former Economic Truth editor Serhiy Lyamets.
Source: OBOZREVATEL
On June 11, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the merger of the Pedagogical University into the Agrarian University, established a liquidation commission, and deprived it of independent status. However, on August 19, Minister of Education Oksen Lisovyi proposed the opposite decision — merging the Agrarian University into the Pedagogical University, labeling the previous decision as “unimplemented.”
Experts and Lyamets’ sources emphasize that this status does not reflect the actual situation: the liquidation process has already begun, with material consequences amounting to millions of hryvnias. In particular, this concerns 17,800 hectares of agricultural land and 234 real estate objects covering 185,000 sq. m. Upon the liquidation of the Agrarian University, these assets could enter the “free market,” including 5.8 hectares in the center of Kamianets-Podilskyi (the botanical garden).
According to the author’s sources, the request to change the configuration was made by local Servant of the People deputy Ihor Marchuk, a former graduate of the Agrarian University. This is linked to the upcoming vote on a peace agreement with Russia, when authorities may offer rewards for support, using state assets as a tool for political motivation.
Lyamets notes that such actions provide direct grounds for an anti-corruption investigation and could serve as an example of buying political loyalty at the highest levels of government.
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