The National Pantheon in Kyiv: where Bandera, Petliura and modern-day heroes will be reburied
This was reported by the publication Lybid34.kiev.ua
Historian and military officer Vakhtang Kipiani spoke about the initial outcomes of the meetings at the President’s Office and the idea of ‘bringing together’ Ukrainian heroes under one sky.
A place of power: where are they looking for a site?
The key issue for the project at present is the land. The initiators insist: the Pantheon must be in the centre of Kyiv, not on the outskirts. Options were considered for siting it on the grounds of the future Military Memorial Cemetery or even in Kaniv near Chernecha Hora, but these ideas were not prioritised.
“We need a separate memorial in the city centre. The site must be free from complex security arrangements so that construction can begin in the near future,” notes Kipiani. Currently, the Presidential Office is discussing three specific locations within the capital.
List of 200: who is to be repatriated Speaker of Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk has already drawn up a working list of approximately 200 people. These are leaders of the liberation struggle, military commanders and cultural figures scattered across the globe. Among the most famous names are:
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Stepan Bandera (Munich, Germany);
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Symon Petliura (Paris, France);
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Andriy Melnyk (Luxembourg);
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Petro Dyachenko, the legendary commander of the ‘Black Cossacks’ (USA).
More than a cemetery: a concept of reconciliation
The Pantheon is conceived not merely as a necropolis, but as a symbol of the continuity of the Ukrainian state tradition from Rus’ and the UNR to today’s heroes. It is intended to be a space that unites society around a shared memory.
However, a number of questions remain unanswered: what criteria will be used to select the names? Will the original gravestones be brought back from abroad, or will a single architectural style be created? It is expected that the relevant institutions will provide answers to these questions following the next round of consultations.
