Return of the Ashes: Chronology of Events
On August 13, 2026, the ashes of Colonel of the Ukrainian People's Republic Army (UPR) and the first Chairman of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), Evhen Konovalets, officially arrived in Ukraine. The repatriation was made possible thanks to a complex logistical operation organized by order of the President of Ukraine. The exhumation ceremony took place on August 11, 2026, at the Crooswijk cemetery in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The coffin with the remains was delivered to Kyiv by a special motorcade, where it was met with full state and military honors.
The process was led by the updated team of the President's Office: Head of the PO Kyrylo Budanov, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiga, and Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINR) Oleksandr Alfiorov. The meeting at the border was carried out by Deputy Head of the PO Iryna Vereshchuk. The official farewell is scheduled to take place at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ of the UGCC.
Burial Location and Fate of the Monument
An important aspect of the repatriation is the question of the final resting place. According to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers from July 2026, Konovalets' ashes will be temporarily buried at the National Military Memorial Cemetery (NMCM) under construction near Kyiv. The final resting place will be the Ukrainian National Pantheon, which will be located on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Construction of the memorial complex in the Lavra is proceeding at an accelerated pace.
Head of the UINR Oleksandr Alfiorov clarified that the original tombstone from Konovalets' grave in Rotterdam has also been dismantled and transported to Ukraine. It will become a separate museum-memorial object. In Rotterdam, the plot at the cemetery will remain with Ukraine, where a memorial plaque will be installed.
Historical Context and Diplomatic Aspects
Evhen Konovalets became the second major leader of the Ukrainian national movement whose ashes were returned to his homeland as part of the repatriation program. At the end of May 2026, the remains of his successor — Colonel Andriy Melnyk and his wife Sofia — were already repatriated to Ukraine from Luxembourg. The return of the founder of the OUN, who was killed in 1938 in Rotterdam by the NKVD agent Pavel Sudoplatov, is viewed as an important ideological step by Kyiv in 2026.
The National Pantheon project is causing discussions in the international community. Earlier, in July 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel and official Warsaw expressed concern regarding the creation of the pantheon and the reburial of OUN figures. Kyiv, in its official narrative, emphasizes Konovalets' role as a Colonel of the UPR Army and the creator of the Sich Riflemen Corps, distinguishing between internal historical memory policy and external diplomacy.
Contradictory Data
There are differences in the interpretation of the goals of the repatriation. On the one hand, representatives of the UINR and the President's Office emphasize that the return of Konovalets' and Melnyk's ashes is intended to highlight the historical continuity of Ukraine's modern defensive war with the liberation movement of the 20th century. On the other hand, some international observers and diplomatic sources point out that these actions may be perceived as a political signal aimed at consolidating internal support in the conditions of a full-scale war.
Furthermore, there are technical difficulties in implementing the NMCM project. The construction of the memorial cemetery near Kyiv (in the Marhalevskyi Forest) is facing problems related to groundwater and environmental requirements. Despite this, the Cabinet of Ministers is accelerating the project so that the pantheon will be fully operational by the end of 2026.
