Milovanov explains why Economy Minister Svyrydenko receives $6,000 per month at KSE
8 April 12:12
President of the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) Tymofiy Mylovanov has commented on MP Volodymyr Ariev’s statement about the salary of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, who also teaches at KSE. As Milovanov wrote on his Facebook page, Svyrydenko does receive $6,000 a month (about 246,000 hryvnia), Komersant ukrainskyi reports
Earlier, on April 8, Volodymyr Ariev wrote on his Facebook page that Svyrydenko received and declared UAH 3,102,506 in fees for teaching at the Kyiv School of Economics in 2024.
The MP noted that other university professors can only dream of such a salary. He also wrote that in 2024, the school’s structures were implementers of grant programs, the beneficiary of which was the Ministry of Economy, headed by Svyrydenko. In his opinion, this should be the subject of a detailed study by the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption.
In response, Milovanov called this reaction a “political attack” by Petro Poroshenko’s party and explained:
“Finally, we are not discussing envelopes, not squeezed factories, but teaching at the most prestigious university in the country. This is progress.”
According to him, this amount corresponds to market rates for specialists of her level.
“Svyrydenko’s salary, although it looks high, corresponds to the market salary for people of this level. We also pay much higher salaries. For example, the fee for the recent visit of the Nobel Prize winner to KSE in March amounted to $70 thousand for 2.5 days. And the salary of a visiting professor, one of those who recently moved from Yale University to Canada, is $50 thousand for a couple of weeks of teaching. You can see my salary for teaching at KSE. I was also a minister,” Milovanov added.
Is there a conflict of interest?
Earlier, Ariev said that Svyrydenko declared more than UAH 3 million in income from teaching at KSE in 2024, and raised the issue of a possible conflict of interest. He noted that in 2024, KSE-related entities implemented grant programs, the beneficiary of which was the Ministry of Economy, headed by Svyrydenko.
“The accusation of a conflict of interest is that KSE is helping the government and will receive funding from international organizations for this. There is no such conflict of interest. Because the university where Svyrydenko works does not carry out such projects. These projects are carried out by other organizations – a charitable foundation, a research institute – which have separate independent management and compliance systems,” he emphasized.
In response, Milovanov emphasized that the educational institution itself does not participate in grant projects of the Ministry of Economy. According to him, the relevant projects are implemented by other independent entities – a charitable foundation and a research institute that have separate management and compliance systems.
“I would like to remind you that we have an independent board of directors with more than half of foreigners, and we fully comply with Ukrainian and international legislation, including conflict of interest control and corruption prevention. I would also like to remind you that all previous accusations of similar or other violations over the 30 years of KSE’s existence have been found to be unfounded,” he emphasized.
Svyrydenko really teaches – and it is documented
To dispel doubts, Milovanov emphasized that Svyrydenko is actively working at KSE.
“Yes, there is a lot of evidence of this, private and public, there are photos on social media, there are speeches, there are lectures.”
She not only gives lectures (often in the evening or on weekends due to her busy schedule), but also develops a new course based on her experience during the war.
“But Svyrydenko is also working on developing a course based on her current experience during the war. It is strategically important for us, because we want to go beyond Ukraine with it. There is also another course. It’s at the level of Strategic Architect at KIIS, but it’s better. More about that at the end. This is all in addition to teaching in the programs that already exist. (Unfortunately, we have to give lectures and meetings in the evening, and sometimes even at night and on weekends, and constantly adjust the schedule to accommodate her, but this is a normal price for a person of this level.)” Milovanov explained.
a “political attack” before the elections?
Milovanov considers the critical statements of the European Solidarity MP to be part of a political campaign.
“This is a political attack. Poroshenko’s party is preparing for the elections, as is the ruling party. This, of course, upsets me, because the war is not over and it is not a fact that it will end soon. People are dying. The US has stopped supporting us. Therefore, priorities should be different. But I understand how democracy works and accept the rules of the game,” he said.
