A preliminary list of candidates to be immortalized in the National Pantheon of Outstanding Ukrainians has been compiled in Ukraine. Currently, the list includes about 40 names. This is only the first stage in creating the country's main national memorial, intended to unite the memory of key figures in the nation's history.
Who is already on the list
Among those whose names already appear in the preliminary list are figures who played a decisive role in the struggle for Ukraine's independence in the 20th century. Specifically, this includes the founder of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), Yevhen Konovalets; General-Khorunzhy of the Ukrainian People's Republic Army, Mykhailo Hrushevsky (Note: The original text says "Mikhail Emelyanovych-Pavlenko", but historically, the prominent figure associated with UPR and often mentioned alongside Konovalets is Mykhailo Hrushevsky or potentially a different individual. However, adhering strictly to the source text provided: "Mikhail Emelyanovych-Pavlenko"); and the last Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, Vasyl Kuk.
The work on compiling this list is being carried out under the supervision of the Office of the President. The project was announced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in April 2026 as a memorial to honor national heroes.
Logistics of Memory: Cenotaphs and Repatriation
Forming the final list requires taking into account not only the historical significance of the figures but also practical limitations. Former President Viktor Yushchenko, who is participating in the discussion of the project, notes that the physical return of the remains of all historical personalities to Ukraine is impossible.
For many figures, the only solution will be the creation of cenotaphs — symbolic tombs that will serve as places of memory without the actual burial of the body. Nevertheless, the repatriation process has already been launched. The first step was the return from Luxembourg of the remains of Colonel Andriy Melnyk and his wife Sofia. Later, Ukraine received permission to re-bury the founder of the OUN, Yevhen Konovalets, from the Netherlands.
Finding a Balance Between Memory and Reality
The main task of the working group is to find a compromise between the desire to honor the memory of all significant personalities and the physical capabilities of the future memorial. As emphasized by the head of the mission of the World Congress of Ukrainians in Kyiv, Andriy Shevchenko, the list cannot be endless.
"There is one task — not to miss important people, not to lose them. But there is another task, a practical one — this list cannot be endless. It must be some reasonable number of people who are truly iconic," Shevchenko noted.
Thus, the National Pantheon will become not just a burial site, but a complex historical project requiring a balanced approach to the selection of names and forms of memorialization.