A new high-profile scandal has erupted around the head of the Ministry of Education.
Anatoly Tolstoukhov
As our journalists learned from informed sources, at the instigation of the Minister of Education, Serhiy Kvit, they are planning to appoint an odious friend of the Ukrainophobe Tabachnyk to the position of head of the supervisory board of the Dragomanov National Pedagogical University (Read more about it in the article Dmitry and Mikhail Tabachnik. Brother for brother) former regional Anatoly Tolstoukhov, reports AntikorEverything would be fine, they're just going to appoint someone, you never know – Ukraine has no shortage of good specialists. But in this case, the situation is precisely the opposite. The question is: why such a strange personnel decision two years after the victory of the Maidan? What does the scandalous former Party of Regions member Tolstoukhov have to do with the education reforms that the ministry still can't implement? And what's going on in Ukraine if these appointments of former Yanukovych associates, trailing numerous corruption cases and hiding dozens of "skeletons" in the closet, continue?
Perhaps the former representative of the Yanukovych regime somehow managed to "appease" the leadership of the Ministry of Education? Or has the Party of Regions simply begun to revanchize the country, as happened under Yushchenko, when, several years after the Orange Revolution, a political "rollback" occurred and Yanukovych, the third president's main opponent, was appointed prime minister?
Hu from Mr. Tolstoukhov?
There's no point in going into detail about the official biography of Tolstoukhov, a native of Khartsyzsk, Donetsk Oblast: he has no significant achievements (including in science and teaching, ed.), other than his length of service. Tolstoukhov is best known for his scandalous political antics, criminal activities, and connections to the "family," which the official media naturally ignores.
Let's list the most "bright" scandalous moments from the life of the odious former official and recall his notorious "exploits" in case anyone in high places has forgotten about them or doesn't want to remember them.
Involvement in the split of the NDP
In 1998, under Kuchma, the once influential all-Ukrainian NDP party began to split. Among the dissenters were Anatoliy Matviyenko and his pro-Ukrainian allies. It's also worth remembering that long after this, in 2004, Tolstoukhov's NDP supported Yanukovych in the presidential election.
Commenting on the conflict within the NDP in the late 90s and characterizing Tolstoukhov's actions for our publication, Matviyenko confirmed that at the time he considered Tolstoukhov a close ally and never expected such an act. Matviyenko noted that his subsequent political path resembled "wandering" for him and advised the former Party of Regions member to abandon this practice.
Matviyenko expressed surprise that an attempt was being made to appoint Tolstoukhov to the leadership of Dragomanov University, given the former official's controversial biography. "If I fall under the lustration law, then Tolstoukhov does even more so," the politician said.
However, the former head of the People's Democratic Party admitted that the Ukrainian government has now slid to the opposite extreme: it appoints many new officials while ignoring experienced and established personnel. However, everything new doesn't always mean everything good and better. Regarding Tolstoukhov, Matviyenko expressed surprise and some doubt about the wisdom of this personnel decision, emphasizing that patriots and people with an unblemished reputation should be appointed to the civil service. Tolstoukhov wouldn't even be considered one of those people.
Abuse of power
During the 2004 presidential election campaign, Cabinet Minister Anatoliy Tolstoukhov and Dmytro Tabachnyk attempted to interfere with the editorial board of the newspaper "Uriadovyi Kurier." On November 25, 2004, despite a Supreme Court ban, they prepared and published an issue of the newspaper containing the Central Election Commission's announcement that Yanukovych had won the second round of the presidential election. Subsequently, the Main Investigative Department of the Prosecutor General's Office conducted a pre-trial investigation into this incident under Part 1 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—abuse of office. Tabachnyk himself, of course, called the case "purely political."
During the Orange Revolution, Tolstoukhov also gained national notoriety for locking himself in the "blockade" government building, as a Cabinet minister, and allowing no one in for an extended period. Rumor has it that during this time, Yanukovych's ally, rather than guarding the building from possible demonstrator takeover, as the Party of Regions claimed, simply consumed all the liquor reserves and destroyed incriminating documents.
Moreover, during the Orange Revolution, Tolstoukhov was remembered for another "feat"—the former official was caught rallying students from a number of Ukrainian universities and, using administrative resources to the fullest, campaigning in support of Yanukovych.
Bankrupt politician
After Yanukovych himself became convinced of Tolstoukhov's loyalty, he offered him a place on the Party of Regions list for the 2006 parliamentary elections, but Anatoly Vladimirovich preferred the strange political project "Eco +25%."
However, following the election results, when Tolstoukhov headed the bloc's campaign headquarters, the mock political project suffered a crushing defeat, garnering only 0,47% of the vote. Even in the Party of Regions' hometown of Khartsyzsk, support for Tolstoukhov's political force was dwindling.
After this, the politician decided to get closer to the Party of Regions again.
Criminal case on the theft of documents from the Lviv Historical Archives
In July 2005, law enforcement officers searched Tolstoukhov's apartment. This was part of an investigation into the theft of documents from the Lviv Historical Archives. Specifically, the theft concerned 44 letters from Hrushevskyi, which Yanukovych had donated to the National Historical Museum. However, no evidence of Tolstoukhov's involvement was found at the time. At the time, Anatoly Vladimirovich perceived the incident as political pressure. "It's a five-room apartment, you've opened a criminal case, so if you show up, go ahead and search. How can you possibly search an apartment in 20 minutes? The question arises: what was the purpose of this search? They weren't even looking for anything—if they picked up 10 books and leafed through them, is that really called a search?" the former official wondered.
Theft of priceless paintings from the Cabinet of Ministers
In 2015, the Prosecutor General's Office reopened the investigation into the theft of expensive paintings from the government building. Several years earlier, Anatoly Melnyk, director of the National Art Museum, broke the sensational news that masterpieces by Ukrainian impressionist Mykola Glushchenko had disappeared from the Cabinet of Ministers building. Eighteen works of art from the National Art Museum's collection had been transferred to the government building for display back in August 2001. Among them were four paintings by Glushchenko: "Sails on the Sea" (1951), "Dnieper Distances" (1937), "Village by the River" (1951), and "On a Fishing Collective Farm" (1952).
According to court documents, the disappearance of the latter was discovered by museum staff in February 2004, and at the beginning of 2005 they were convinced that another work, “Sails on the Sea,” had been stolen.
Until 2010–2011, publicity and scandal were avoided until the art museum commission conducted official checks of the presence and safety of paintings in the government building.
News of the impressionist's disappearance reached the media, which also uncovered other scandalous details: the "surviving" paintings—"Dnieper Distances" and "Village by the River"—were inauthentic, having been forged. Chemical analysis revealed that the paintings hanging in the Cabinet of Ministers were copies created in the 2000s.
The investigation has targeted former First Deputy Prime Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk, as well as his friend, former Cabinet Minister Tolstoukhov, who was responsible for government "housekeeping" in Yanukovych's government. The thieves have yet to be punished, and the case has been strangely stalled.
Book publishing at taxpayers' expense
In 2011, Tolstoukhov found himself at the center of a scandal surrounding the publication of his book, "Khartsyzk: Time, Events, People. Volume 1." As stated in the procurement notice, the book was to be published at state expense under the "Ukrainian Book" program. The plan was to print and distribute 1000 copies. The total cost of production was 350 hryvnias. Thus, each copy of the Party of Regions' book cost the state treasury (and therefore Ukrainian taxpayers) 350 hryvnias.
Friend of Russia
According to open sources, Tolstoukhov heads a society for friendship with Russia, regularly visits Moscow, consults with the fugitive Azarov, spreads rumors about a "nationalist takeover of Ukraine," disgraces the current Ukrainian president and government, promotes the Russian language, and brutally imposes it on students.
Raider takeover of a pedagogical university?
Just recently, a new scandal erupted around this odious figure. Having once served as co-chair (along with Vasily Kremen) of the university's Supervisory Board, according to faculty and students, he did nothing constructive for the university. Now, the odious former Party of Regions member has sought to become the sole head of the Supervisory Board, removing Academician Kremen from power. It appears that somehow Tolstoukhov gained Kvit's trust and, without waiting for an official appointment, seized control of the office in early March, firmly nailing a brass plaque to it declaring his high status. And this is the same Tolstoukhov who once "introduced" pro-Russian figures (Lanovoi, Tabachnik, and others) to the university, who, with hoarse voices, "convinced" society of the need to revive and protect the Russian language.
According to sources, this odious politician is now using tried-and-true techniques: slander, blackmail, intimidation, and, most importantly, paid and motivated students posing as "activists" as a "strike force." It appears that the so-called "anti-corruption fighters" are signing letters drafted by Tolstoukhov about alleged "contradictions and abuses" at the university and are appealing to the minister and other authorities. The minister, in turn, is organizing yet another massive inspection, which is effectively disrupting the educational process and dividing the staff. And although the commissions find no significant shortcomings, neither Tolstoukhov, the students, nor the minister are deterred: contrary to existing Ukrainian law, the appeals, commissions, and inspections continue unabated, according to eyewitnesses.
A logical question arises: who are these active "fighters for justice"? Are they good students, excellent students, true activists? No! And once again, no! It was discovered that they have not distinguished themselves in any way, whether in their studies, student research, or public affairs. Meanwhile, students and faculty should know "their heroes" by sight. As our publication has learned, these include, in particular, former students of Tabachnyk's odious deputy, Yevgeny Sulima: Alexandra Novik, Bogdan Kucher, Dmitry Melnyk, Lev Leshchenko, Sergey Zaychenko... It seems that having seized power in the student government and deceitfully maintained it for several years, receiving daily instructions from Tolstoukhov and the minister, these "activists" are foaming at the mouth and slandering the university and its leadership, paving the way for Tolstoukhov (or perhaps the minister?!) to take over the university.
Students should know that Novik once snitched on actual Maidan activists to Sulima; that Leshchenko is speculating on student union vouchers; and that self-proclaimed "student leader" Sergei Zaychenko refuses to account for the use of funds earmarked for the development of the student movement.
The university's strongest forces—students, faculty, and staff—appealed to government leadership for support.
The National Pedagogical University—the leader of pedagogical education in Ukraine—is a temple of science, education, and culture. It must be preserved and developed, affirming the authority of Ukrainian education worldwide. There is no place for the likes of Tolstoukhov and his ilk at the university.
Thus, a logical question arises: what kind of appointment of Tolstoukhov are we even talking about? The former Party of Regions member should be prosecuted, summoned for questioning, and tried, not reinstated! The Ministry of Education, for its part, has yet to comment coherently on this strange personnel decision.
Incidentally, as a reminder, Minister Kvit recently found himself embroiled in a high-profile anti-corruption scandal: the Ministry of Education launched a scheme to misappropriate budget funds for the purchase of school equipment through "favored" commercial entities.
Anatoly Bekh
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