Ukraine Reburies Andriy Melnyk 62 Years After Death With State Honors
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 24
Ukraine Reburies Andriy Melnyk 62 Years After Death With State Honors
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 24
Kyiv on Sunday reburied Andriy Melnyk with a military honor guard and full state honors after his remains were exhumed from Luxembourg and returned to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky backed the ceremony, marking a sharp political shift since Russia’s 2022 invasion; before the war, he had largely kept nationalist politics at arm’s length.
Melnyk led one wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists during World War II, a movement that at times aligned with Nazi forces while pursuing Ukrainian sovereignty.
That legacy remains deeply divisive because members of nationalist factions and their insurgent forces also participated in atrocities against Jewish and Polish civilians, even as some later fought the Nazis.
Will honoring a Nazi-era collaborator to boost morale cost Ukraine its European future?
Can Ukraine win its future by celebrating a dark chapter of its past?
Andriy Melnyk’s 2026 State Reburial: Ukraine’s Pantheon Project and the Struggle Over Historical Memory
Overview
On May 24, 2026, Ukraine held a state reburial for Andriy Melnyk, whose remains were brought back from Luxembourg. This event is a powerful symbol of Ukraine’s commitment to restoring and deepening its historical memory, seen as essential for the nation’s self-understanding and resilience. The reburial is not just a tribute to Melnyk but also marks a foundational step in the government’s larger Pantheon project, which aims to honor prominent Ukrainians buried abroad. Without such efforts to reclaim and refine its history, Ukraine risks losing its national identity and fading into oblivion.