Ukraine is preparing to reinter Yevhen Konovalets from Rotterdam
This was announced by Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, at the funeral ceremony for Andriy Melnyk, leader of the OUN, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
Permission granted for Konovalets’ reburial
Ukraine has received permission to reinter Yevhen Konovalets – a colonel in the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, commander of the Sich Riflemen, and founder and first leader of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists.
Konovalets is currently buried at the Crossways Cemetery in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
According to Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President, the reburial is planned to take place in the near future.
“Next will be Yevhen Konovalets, who is buried in Rotterdam. We already have permission; we are making preparations and will carry out the reburial in the near future,” said Vereshchuk.
Who else is planned to be returned to Ukraine
Vereshchuk noted that Ukraine plans to repatriate not only figures from the 20th century.
According to her, this also includes historical figures from various periods, in particular the Princely and Cossack eras.
When asked whether the prominent Ukrainians to be reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery would, in the future, be reburied again in the National Pantheon, Vereshchuk replied that this issue is still being discussed within the framework of the Pantheon Act.
Work on the return of historical figures
The head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Oleksandr Alferov, reported that work is currently underway regarding hundreds of prominent figures.
At the same time, the speakers did not give a direct answer as to whether there are plans to re-inter Stepan Bandera.
What happened previously
In June 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the procedure for the reburial at the National Military Memorial Cemetery of prominent fighters for Ukraine’s independence in the 20th century.
At the end of March 2026, the Head of the President’s Office, Kirill Budanov, stated that he would shortly submit to the President for consideration the draft proposals regarding the creation of a Pantheon of prominent Ukrainians.
This concerns historical figures – natives of Ukraine who are currently buried abroad.
The reburial of Andrii Melnyk
It was during this ceremony that Vereshchuk announced preparations for the reburial of Yevhen Konovalets.
Follow us on Telegram
