Zelenskyy reveals who could be the next to be returned to the pantheon of Ukrainian heroes
Kyiv • UNN
The President took part in the reburial of Andriy Melnyk at a military cemetery. The authorities are already working on returning the remains of Yevhen Konovalets to Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the reburial ceremony of Colonel of the UNR Army and Chairman of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists Andriy Melnyk and his wife Sofiya Fedak-Melnyk on the territory of the National Military Memorial Cemetery, and revealed who among the next prominent Ukrainians they seek to bring home, UNN reports with reference to the Presidential Office.
Details
"Now, when we are on Ukrainian soil, under our Ukrainian flag, to the sounds of a Ukrainian national song, paying due respect to our Ukrainian heroes, we feel in our hearts everything that Ukrainians were forced to go through, what our people had to endure," the Head of State emphasized.
The President noted that Andriy Melnyk returned to a free, strong, and proud Ukraine, the one he dreamed of.
"He returned to a Ukraine that will not falter. To a leadership Ukraine. To a Ukraine that has become long-range and far-sighted. He returned to a Ukraine that will definitely live in peace. To a Ukraine that the world no longer just wants to see on the political map, which in itself is significant, but which the countries of the world want to see as their friend, which is the greatest achievement in our history," Zelenskyy remarked.
Zelenskyy emphasized that the return to Ukraine of prominent Ukrainians resting abroad has been discussed for years, and now we are taking the first step toward this.
We have already begun work so that Yevhen Konovalets returns home, along with many other such Ukrainians. It is extremely symbolic that our current Ukrainian heroes, who tore Ukraine from Russian hands in a full-scale war, who tore it away forever, will rest alongside Ukrainians from previous generations who also acted so that Ukraine would be exactly like this, so that Ukraine would be itself, so that Ukraine would be free
Yevhen Konovalets is buried at the Crooswijk Cemetery in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.
The Head of State thanked everyone who helps create the pantheon of Ukrainian heroes.
"Now, with Kyrylo Budanov and the team of the Office of the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government of Ukraine, and everyone involved, we are filling with great meaning a word that is often heard and must sound fully – the word respect, respect for Ukrainian heroes," Zelenskyy noted.
The ceremony was also attended by: the third President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha, Minister for Veterans Affairs Nataliia Kalmykova, parliamentarians, military personnel, and representatives of the public.
The President also honored the memory of Ukrainian soldiers buried at the National Military Memorial Cemetery and laid flowers on their graves. "More than 300 Ukrainian defenders are buried at the cemetery, over 200 of whom are unidentified. The first burials here took place in August 2025 in the presence of the Head of State," the Presidential Office indicated.
For reference
The Ukrainian National Pantheon is a multifunctional memorial, cultural-historical, and landscape complex designed to promote the preservation of Ukrainian state-building traditions. Prominent Ukrainians who made an exceptional contribution to the achievement of Ukraine's independence and state sovereignty will be buried in the pantheon. The territory of the pantheon will include honorary burials, memorial compositions, squares for commemorative ceremonies, and a museum space.