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Ukraine will establish a National Pantheon, and Ukrainians themselves will decide whom the country should honor as national heroes, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during the 11th International Veterans Forum.
Zelenskyy noted that the Verkhovna Rada had already adopted legislation establishing the Ukrainian National Pantheon. He said it would commemorate Ukrainian heroes from different periods who fought for the country and its independence.
“The Ukrainian Pantheon will certainly exist, and only Ukrainians will decide for themselves who our heroes are,” Zelenskyy said.
He also called on government officials and representatives of Crimean communities to involve local communities more actively in shaping Ukraine’s policy of honoring its heroes and the achievements of the Ukrainian people.
Pantheon to be located in Kyiv
On July 1, parliament approved bill No. 15360 on the establishment of the Ukrainian National Pantheon. The legislation was supported by 287 lawmakers.
The Pantheon is planned for central Kyiv, with the government designating land within the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve for the project.
The initiative had already sparked controversy in Poland before the law was adopted. The office of Polish President Karol Nawrocki described the legislation as an “escalatory” move and linked it to Ukraine’s decision to name a military unit after Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) heroes.
