KYIV. Aug 27 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The academic council of the National Aviation University (NAU) has expressed its distrust in acting rector Rimvydas Khraschevsky and confirmed the authority of the pro-rectors he dismissed, chairman of the academic council Yaroslav Kozachok said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.

He said the decision was made at a meeting of the NAU academic council on August 25.

According to him, the academic council also passed vote of no-confidence in Minister of Education and Science Serhiy Kvit.

The council has supported an appeal to President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, in which the university staff request protection against attempted raider attacks.

Lawyer Vitaliy Naum said that all of Kvit's actions are intended to disrupt the elections of the NAU rector, which are scheduled for September 17.

"All the events happening at the National Aviation University are aimed at one thing: to disrupt the elections, remove the persons engaged in the preparation of these elections, which for the first time in accordance with the law on higher education will be held with the participation of the student government," he said.

Former NAU rector Mykola Kulyk accused Kvit of promoting "the raider seizure of NAU by businessmen."

"How can the rector be a businessman, whose business interests are fully associated with the activities of the university? I mean Rimvydas Khraschevsky, who is the co-owner of a pilots' school, which is to be licensed this autumn, and he has no aircraft in the register," he said.

Head of the NAU Aircraft Control Systems Department Valeriy Azarskov said that the employees of the university intend to support a single candidate for the post of NAU rector - Kulyk. If the elections fail, the staff could resort to civil disobedience.