Official investigation launched in Odesa against ONU lecturer Muzychko

A scandal erupted at the I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University due to public statements made by one of its professors that caused a wave of outrage. Amid numerous complaints, the university administration has already launched an internal investigation.

This was reported by the ONU press service.

The administration of the I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University has officially announced the launch of an internal investigation into the lecturer Oleksandr Muzychka. The reason was his systematic public statements in social networks and the media space, which caused a significant public outcry.

The university notes that the administration has received a number of requests to verify the facts. In this regard, it was decided to conduct an internal audit to establish the circumstances of the situation and give it a proper assessment.

The university emphasized that, according to the current legislation of Ukraine, research and teaching staff are obliged to comply with the norms of professional ethics and morality. This is one of the key conditions for their activities.

The inspection, as stated in the message, will take place within the framework of the current legislation. Based on its results, the university promises to make appropriate decisions.

Last year, Doctor of Historical Sciences Oleksandr Muzychko publicly stated that Odesa should get rid of monuments to Richelieu, Vorontsov, and Pushkin as markers of the city's imperial past. Monuments to Yuriy Lypa, Ivan Lypa, and Karavansky should appear in Odesa. Muzychko also proposes to dismantle all monuments erected in Soviet and imperial times. Even the monument to Taras Shevchenko.

The historian emphasized that the process of decolonization should be systematic and non-selective. According to him, if a monument, even one dedicated to Shevchenko, was created in the Soviet period and does not reflect Ukrainian content, it should also be dismantled.

Анна Бальчінос