A right-wing Students Organization “Ukrainian Student” has announced a public event at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) on December 9. According to the announcement, one of the speakers at the Open Workshop “Kyivska Rus and the ‘Russian World’” should be Yevgeny Karas, the leader of the organization С14 (which stands for the sentence “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children”). We emphasize that C14 is a paramilitary far-right radical group well-known for its racist and violent activities. This group recently participated in disrupting a student protest against sexism and sexual harassment. In addition, the name of this group and its leader has appeared in an unofficial list of terrorist organizations made by TRAC.

The cases of violence are recognized by the members of the group itself, while at the same time, the C14 is suspected of numerous violent attacks involving grave injuries against representatives of the cultural community and activists, as well as against a student of the Mohyla Academy; it was involved in pogroms of exhibitions and disruptions of public educational venues. The future presentation by the C14 leader will not only undermine the democratic foundations within our university but also discredit the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in the eyes of the Ukrainian and international academic community.

The students have already sent a letter to the president of NaUKMA. Meleshevych asking him not to allow the event involving Yevgeny Karas, who is advocating Nazism in Ukraine. But the president did not see any grounds or reasons for canceling the event. This shameful case shows that the leadership of the University is legitimizing the transformation of the university into a center of nationalists and Nazi propaganda.

We ask all those who care about the future of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and of academic rights and freedoms to unite with us in the fight against violence and repression by taking all possible measures to preserve the democratic foundations within our University!

The initiative group “No Violence at the University!” was founded in June 2017 by students as a response to unprecedented violence inside the university. They advocate for academic, sexual, and political rights and freedoms.