--- title: "Yevhen Konovalets Returns Home: Ukraine Granted Permission for Repatriation of OUN Founder" description: "Ukraine has received official permission for the repatriation of the remains of OUN founder Yevhen Konovalets from the Netherlands πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡³πŸ‡±. President Zelenskyy announced this step as part of a large-scale program to create a Pantheon of national heroes. πŸ•ŠοΈ" date: 2026-05-26T20:33:31.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-granted-permission-for-repatriation-of-konovalets tags: [] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Yevhen Konovalets Returns Home: Ukraine Granted Permission for Repatriation of OUN Founder ![Solemn reburial ceremony of OUN leaders in a church with the participation of military personnel and clergy](https://xab.info/media/2026/05/27/ukraina-poluchila-razreshenie-na-repatriaciyu-konovalca/ceremoniya-perezakhoroneniya-ostankov-ou-n.webp) The story of the return of national heroes to their homeland enters a new, large-scale chapter. Immediately after the solemn reburial ceremony of the leader of the OUN(b), Andriy Melnyk, and his wife Sofia, Ukrainian authorities announced the next important stage. Ukraine has officially received permission from the Netherlands to return the remains of the founder of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists β€” Yevhen Konovalets. ### Presidential Priority: Creating a Pantheon The decision regarding the repatriation of Konovalets was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a ceremony at the National Military Memorial Cemetery (NMCM). The Head of State emphasized that the work on returning outstanding Ukrainians has already begun and will continue systematically. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to all those involved in this process and reminded that the idea of creating a Pantheon of Heroes has been discussed since 2019. "We started this work so that Yevhen Konovalets could return home, as well as many other great Ukrainians," noted the President, highlighting the importance of creating a worthy place of memory for those who fought for the country's independence. ### Operation Details and Future Plans Information about the imminent return of the remains was confirmed by the Deputy Head of the President's Office, Iryna Vereshchuk. According to her, Konovalets, who currently rests at the Crooswijk cemetery in Rotterdam, will be the next hero whose remains will be transported to Ukraine. All necessary permissions have been obtained, and the reburial ceremony will take place in the near future. Yevhen Konovalets is a figure of historical magnitude: a colonel of the Ukrainian People's Republic Army, commander of the Sich Riflemen, and the first head of the OUN. His return will be a logical continuation of the repatriation process of leaders of the national liberation movement. ### Who Else is Expected in the Pantheon? The program of returning heroes is not limited to figures of the 20th century. As Vereshchuk clarified, the list of candidates also includes outstanding personalities from the Princely and Cossack eras. Alongside Konovalets' name, dozens of other personalities appear in the list of potential candidates. The Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Oleksandr Alfirov, reported that the candidacy of more than a hundred historical figures is currently being considered. It is important to note that the decision on each specific reburial will be made by a separate resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers. As for the possible reburial of Stepan Bandera, officials have so far refrained from commenting on this issue. The question of whether the personalities reburied at the NMCM will be moved to a special National Pantheon in the future depends on the adoption of the relevant law. It is the legislative framework that will determine the criteria and conditions for burial in the Pantheon. Earlier, the Head of the President's Office, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that proposals for the creation of the Pantheon, including the names of those buried abroad, will be submitted to the President in the near future. The legal basis for these processes has already been formed: in October 2025, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill regulating the procedure for the reburial of military personnel and securing its financing by the state. This is the first step towards creating a single memorial space for the heroes of Ukraine.