In a private Lviv university, a large-scale scheme for evaders was uncovered

In a private Lviv university, a large-scale scheme for evaders was uncovered

One of the organizers of this scheme is 64-year-old Colonel and Professor Lyubomyr Sopilnyk.

Halytskyi District Court of Lviv on October 31 chose a preventive measure in the form of detention with the possibility of bail for the 64-year-old professor of the private Lviv University of Business and Law, Lyubomyr Sopilnyk. He is suspected of illegal possession of weapons. The press service of the SSU reported on Friday, November 1, that an arsenal was found in Lyubomyr Sopilnyk’s possession during searches in a case regarding an illegal scheme for draft dodgers that operated in a private university of business and law in Lviv. The cost of formal admission to postgraduate study for those liable for military service ranged from 5 to 8 thousand dollars.

«The university owner and the rectorate illegally enrolled men of conscription age beyond the licensed annual volumes approved by the Ministry of Education and Science. The private educational institution’s management facilitated avoiding conscription on the basis of "education seeker" certificates. "Students" were formally enrolled and did not participate in the educational process, and their data were not entered into the Unified State Electronic Database on Education,» – reports the SSU.

SSU employees conducted five searches in the residences of the university owner and officials and confiscated documents, accounting reports, and rough records confirming illegal actions. In addition, an arsenal of firearms and about 5,000 rounds of various calibers were found in Lyubomyr Sopilnyk’s home.

The searches during which the arsenal was found. Photo SSU

Lyubomyr Sopilnyk received suspicion of illegal handling of weapons (Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The Halytskyi District Court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention with the right to bail. In addition, he and other figures in the case face punishment under the article on obstructing the legitimate activities of the Armed Forces (Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

It should be noted that Lyubomyr Sopilnyk is a professor at the private university of business and law in Lviv, 49% of which is owned by his son Rostyslav. According to the analytical system YouControl, the private Lviv University of Business and Law has been operating since 2007. It is located at Kulparkivska Street, 99. Since March 2023, the acting head is Zhanna Semchuk, who also owns 51% of the university.

In September 2024, the site NGL.media reported that university postgraduates could not receive certificates from the Unified State Electronic Database on Education. In 2023, the institution enrolled only one postgraduate (the rest were not entered into the EDEBO), and in 2022, it enrolled 106 postgraduates (the licensed volume is 80 people).

Deputy Minister of Education Mykhailo Vynnytskyi informed journalists that the Ministry of Education is checking the Lviv University of Business and Law and determining how many people are using deferrals from mobilization.

In 2024, Lyubomyr Sopilnyk received the "Scientist of the Year" award from the National Academy of Sciences.

Additionally, 64-year-old Lyubomyr Sopilnyk has worked in law enforcement since 1982. He held the position of head of the automotive technical inspection of the Lviv regional State Auto Inspection. Besides this, Lyubomyr Sopilnyk holds the rank of police colonel, Doctor of Law, Doctor of Technical Sciences, honored inventor of Ukraine, and academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. The suspect is also a professor at the Department of Law and Psychology Institute of NU "Lviv Polytechnic."

In 2011, Lyubomyr Sopilnyk was involved in a scandal when his son Svyatoslav shot at the assistant of the deputy of the Lviv City Council from "Svoboda" Oleh Kovpak with a traumatic weapon. The incident occurred on May 9 when Svyatoslav Sopilnyk came to lay flowers on the Hill of Glory. After that, his father reported that the shooting was accidental. The prosecutor’s office concluded that Svyatoslav Sopilnyk acted "in a state of necessary defense."

Lyubomyr Sopilnyk’s grandson, 23-year-old Lyubomyr, is a freelance advisor to the head of the Lviv Regional State Administration on youth policy issues. He is also the leader of the youth wing of the "Servant of the People" party in Lviv.

From 2015 to 2024, Lyubomyr Sopilnyk worked as the head of the explosive management department of the National Police of Lviv region. In the declaration for 2023, it is stated that he received a one-time payment of 920 thousand UAH upon dismissal.

According to the declaration of Lyubomyr Sopilnyk, he and his wife own three houses and an apartment in Sokolnyky and the village of Verkhnyaya Stinava. In October 2023, the Sopilnyks purchased two non-residential premises in Lviv. The family also owns 31 plots of land with a total area of over 15 hectares. This includes land in Sokilnyky, Verkhnye Synovydne, etc. Some of the land was purchased by Sopilnyk in 2023.