Oleg Bilous, the former director of the Young Theater, has been released from custody following a court decision to reduce his bail from approximately 5 million hryvnias to 1.3 million hryvnias. Bilous had been in pre-trial detention for nearly a year, during which his legal team worked diligently for his release on bail and eventually succeeded in having the amount lowered.
Earlier, Bilous’ wife, Iryna Bilous, confirmed the final bail amount. The reduction came after months of legal efforts to secure his release.
Background
- In January 2025, allegations surfaced from former student Sofia Sapozhnik, accusing Bilous of sexual harassment. Following these claims, he was suspended from teaching at the theater university while law enforcement conducted their investigation.
- On February 4, Bilous announced he had filed a police report regarding the accusations against him. Just a few days later, on February 10, the National Police opened a criminal investigation into the matter, and the Kyiv City State Administration confirmed his suspension from the Young Theater, where he served as director and artistic leader.
- On May 8, after a performance of “Dangerous Liaisons,” actors from the Young Theater made a public statement, claiming that approximately 80% of their colleagues had experienced sexual harassment from Bilous, urging the public not to remain silent.
- On October 21, the director was formally charged with systematic sexual offenses against students, which, according to the victims’ testimonies, were facilitated by an abuse of power, psychological pressure, and intimidation, as reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General. The following day, the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv placed Bilous in custody.
