The remains of Andriy Melnyk have been handed over to Ukraine for reburial
This was reported by Ukrinform.
At the Bonnevaux cemetery in Luxembourg, the remains of Colonel Andriy Melnyk and his wife, Sofiia Fedak-Melnyk, were handed over to the Ukrainian side.
Andriy Melnyk was the leader of the OUN from 1938 to 1964. The remains were handed over for subsequent reburial in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian delegation at the ceremony was led by Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President. In her speech, she stated that this event is of great significance for Ukrainian national memory.
“A nation lives not only by its economy and weapons. A nation lives by its memory and respect for those who built the state, who fought for it when the state itself did not yet exist,” said Vereshchuk.
She also noted that Ukraine is reclaiming its national history, building a Pantheon of Heroes and reviving the tradition of struggle.
Thanks to the community and the authorities of Luxembourg
Iryna Vereshchuk thanked the Ukrainian community, Yaroslav Melnyk, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg (concurrently), the clergy, and everyone who helped make this mission a reality.
“Ukraine remembers its own, honours its own and always brings its own home,” stated the Deputy Head of the President’s Office.
Ambassador Yaroslav Melnyk noted that in the face of Russian military aggression, Ukrainians feel particularly keenly the historical bond between generations in the struggle for the right to be free, to live in their own state and to preserve their national identity.
He expressed his gratitude to the Luxembourg authorities, the Grand Duke’s family, the country’s government, the city of Luxembourg, and to those who have kept the memory of Andriy Melnyk and his family alive over the decades.
“Thank you for supporting Ukraine and preserving our national memory alongside us,” said the ambassador.
Where Andrii Melnyk will be reburied
Claude Radu, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Luxembourg and a representative of the city council, whose family members are also buried at the Bonnevaux cemetery, described it as a sad fact that Andriy Melnyk and his wife died in forced exile.
He welcomed the initiative to return the remains to Ukraine, where they will rest in their native soil.
Oleksandr Alferov, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, stated in his speech: “We are a genuine state, not a ‘failed state’. We are reclaiming what is ours.”
Andriy Melnyk, the second head of the OUN, passed away on 1 November 1964. He was buried at the Bonnevaux Cemetery in Luxembourg.
Divine service in Kyiv
The day before, the Kyiv Archdiocese of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church announced that memorial services would be held this week at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ of the UGCC in Kyiv.
These are linked to the transfer to Ukraine of the remains of OUN leader Andriy Melnyk and his wife, Sofiia Fedak-Melnyk.
It was noted that the remains will be reburied in Kyiv at the National Military Memorial Cemetery – in the Pantheon of Distinguished Ukrainians.
Pantheon of Outstanding Ukrainians
As reported by Ukrinform, work has begun in Ukraine on the creation of the Pantheon of Outstanding Ukrainians.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the primary aim is to repatriate historical figures to Ukraine – individuals who are of fundamental importance to the formation of Ukrainian national consciousness and state-building.
The head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Oleksandr Alferov, stated that the process of creating the Pantheon of Outstanding Ukrainians is expected to take years, but work on the project is already well underway.
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