Zelenskyy suggests Rada establish national pantheon to honor Ukrainian nation's most distinguished figures

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is proposing that the Verkhovna Rada establish a Ukrainian National Pantheon in Kyiv to honor the most outstanding representatives of the Ukrainian nation. This is outlined in Bill No. 15360, which was registered with the Rada on June 28, according to the Ukrainian News agency.

The bill states that the Pantheon is a nationwide memorial site for the Ukrainian people, a place to honor the most outstanding representatives of the Ukrainian nation who have made an exceptional, historically significant contribution to the attainment and restoration of independence, to the formation and development of the Ukrainian state, the defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the formation of the Ukrainian nation, the military, culture, art, science, and sports, the establishment of the Ukrainian literary language, and the development of civil society or religion.

It is envisaged that the Pantheon will honor the most outstanding representatives of the Ukrainian nation through their ceremonial reburial, the erection of cenotaphs, and other forms of commemoration.

The following may be honored in the Pantheon:

1) individuals who held the office of head of state or an equivalent position in Rus’, the Kingdom of Rus’, the Ukrainian Cossack State (the Zaporizhian Host), the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the West Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Ukrainian State, and Carpathian Ukraine;

2) presidents of Ukraine, except for those who, in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine, were removed from office through impeachment;

3) individuals who held the positions of commander-in-chief (chief commander) or equivalent positions in the armed forces (army) of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Galician Army (Ukrainian Galician Army), the “Carpathian Sich” People’s Defense Organization, and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army;

4) commanders-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the War for Ukraine’s Independence;

5) individuals who made an exceptional, historically significant contribution to the attainment and restoration of independence, to state-building and the development of the Ukrainian state, the defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the formation of the Ukrainian nation, military, culture, arts, science, and sports, the establishment of the Ukrainian literary language, and the development of civil society or religion;

6) Nobel Prize laureates in science or literature, and world-renowned figures in science or culture who were citizens of Ukraine, or who were born or resided in Ukraine, or whose activities were connected to the territory of Ukraine.

The Pantheon may not honor the memory of individuals who have been convicted of committing a criminal offense against the foundations of Ukraine’s national security and against peace, the security of humanity, and the international legal order.

The draft law provides that, for the purpose of preliminary consideration of the issue of the honorary reburial in the Pantheon of the remains of individuals, or the erection of cenotaphs for them, or to honor their memory through other means, a permanent collegial advisory body shall be established, comprising representatives of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, academic institutions, and experts in the fields of history, national memory, education, and memorialization, as well as representatives of civil society organizations in the fields of security, culture, the arts, science, sports, Ukrainian linguistics, civil society development, or religion.

The Cabinet of Ministers shall designate the contracting authority for the construction of the Pantheon, and the design of the Pantheon shall be carried out on a competitive basis.

It is stipulated that the construction, maintenance, and security of the Pantheon will be funded from the state budget.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, a reburial ceremony was held in May for the second leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), Colonel Andrii Melnyk of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and his wife, Sofia Fedak-Melnyk, took place at the National Military Memorial Cemetery (NMMC) in the Kyiv Region.