[67996] Ukraine initiates the National Pantheon project: remains of Andriy Melnyk to be returned to the homeland
[67996] Ukraine initiates the National Pantheon project: remains of Andriy Melnyk to be returned to the homeland
Ukraine has begun the process of returning the remains of national leaders buried abroad to their homeland. The first ceremony was carried out with the exhumation of the remains of the head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), Andriy Melnyk, from Luxembourg.
Ukraine brings its historical heroes back: the National Pantheon project gets underway
As part of a broad national initiative to commemorate key figures in Ukrainian history, an official process has begun to return the remains of national leaders buried outside the country's borders. According to ✙DeepState✙🇺🇦, the move is part of the "National Pantheon of Heroes" project, which is intended to "restore the cultural and historical power of Ukraine."
On May 19, in an emotional ceremony in Luxembourg that included OUN flags and prayers, the remains of the head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and colonel of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR) army, Andriy Melnyk, and his wife Sofia Fedak-Melnyk, were exhumed. As reported by Оперативний ЗСУ, the ceremony was held in the presence of representatives from the Office of the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that it is a "moral duty" to bring home those who fought for Ukraine's independence and are currently buried in Europe and the USA. In an official statement, Zelenskyy noted that "the Ukrainian people deserve their historical memory," adding that decisions are already being formed regarding the return of the remains of Yevhen Konovalets, the historical founder of the OUN, who is buried in Rotterdam, Netherlands, as published by ҐРУНТ.
Funeral services are planned to be held on May 22-24 at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, followed by a ceremonial burial on May 24 at the National Memorial Cemetery for war casualties, as reported in Українська правда. The move has received broad support in the Ukrainian media, which covered the event while emphasizing the importance of strengthening national identity at the present time.