Overview
- The Verkhovna Rada approved legislation to establish a Ukrainian National Pantheon as a formal state institution with procedures to select and honor a small group of distinguished figures.
- The law defines who may be included by naming leaders of Ukrainian state formations and commanders of Ukrainian forces across history and by allowing symbolic cenotaphs under strict criteria.
- A specially formed expert commission of scholars will prepare candidate lists that Parliament must vote on and the president must sign before any reburials or honors can take place.
- The statute bars reburial in the Pantheon until at least 20 years after a person’s death to prevent hasty decisions and preserve the site’s prestige.
- Supporters say the Pantheon aims to mirror respected European memorials while the proposal has already drawn diplomatic concern from Poland over recent moves to honor some contested wartime figures, and next steps include forming the commission, approving names, and planning the site.