Yevhen Konovalets' Ashes Return Home: Ukraine Pays Tribute to the OUN's First Leader
The remains of Yevhen Konovalets, the founding head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), have been brought back to Ukraine from the Netherlands. The arrival was marked by full state and military honors, according to Iryna Vereshchuk, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. The ashes arrived after an exhumation conducted on August 11 at the Krosweik cemetery in Rotterdam. A farewell ceremony for the prominent Ukrainian leader is planned at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The repatriation is part of a broader state effort to recover the remains of notable Ukrainians buried abroad and to honor them within a new national framework. The Ukrainian National Pantheon was established under a law passed by the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, on July 1. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had submitted the corresponding bill on June 24. The pantheon is designed to pay tribute to the most prominent figures of the Ukrainian nation and to those who fought for Ukraine's independence in the 20th century.
Konovalets' remains are expected to undergo a comprehensive modern scientific examination. In late March this year, Kyrylo Budanov chaired a meeting on the reburial of distinguished Ukrainians whose graves lie overseas. The effort has already yielded results: the remains of Andriy Melnyk and his wife Sofia Fedak-Melnyk were returned and reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery near Kyiv on May 25. Oleksandr Alfiorov has also reported negotiations over repatriating the remains of other prominent Ukrainians, including Yevhen Konovalets, Symon Petliura, and Pavlo Skoropadskyi.
Vereshchuk emphasized that Konovalets, a colonel, was met on his native soil with full state and military honors. These developments reflect Ukraine's growing commitment to honoring its heroes and preserving their place in the national memory.
The tribute to figures such as Yevhen Konovalets highlights the state's broader push to restore national memory and identity. The creation of the Ukrainian National Pantheon marks an important step in recognizing the role that Ukrainian heroes played in the struggle for independence, and it underscores their lasting significance in today's context.
Source: Iryna Vereshchuk
The recent repatriation of Yevhen Konovalets' ashes follows a significant exhumation process in the Netherlands, which was crucial for honoring the legacy of this prominent figure in Ukrainian history. To learn more about the circumstances surrounding the exhumation and the efforts to bring back other notable Ukrainians, read our detailed coverage on the exhumation of Colonel Yevhen Konovalets.