Zelenskyy submits bill to parliament on National Pantheon of Ukraine
On Constitution Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada establishing a National Pantheon to honor distinguished Ukrainians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on 28 June, Constitution Day, that he has submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) on the establishment of a National Pantheon. The Pantheon aims to honor the most outstanding representatives of the Ukrainian nation who made an exceptional, historically significant contribution to Ukraine's independence, state-building, development, armed forces, culture, arts, science, sports, language, civil society, and religion.
Speaking about the bill, Zelenskyy stated that no one will ever dictate to Ukrainians whom to honor. Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov echoed this, emphasizing that Ukrainians' ancestors fought for centuries for the right to choose, and that soldiers today shed blood for that same cause.
The draft law defines six categories of individuals eligible for inclusion: heads of state or equivalent figures from various historical periods, presidents of Ukraine, commanders-in-chief, individuals with exceptional contributions to independence or state-building, Nobel Prize winners, and others. Categories of individuals excluded include those convicted of crimes against national security and peace.
The Pantheon will be a memorial complex located in Kyiv, open to the public. The Cabinet of Ministers is responsible for its construction, which will be developed through an open competitive tender. The bill also provides for a permanent guard of honor, a Book of Memory, and funding from the state budget.
According to the explanatory note, the purpose of the bill is to shape national and civic identity, restore historical justice, and consolidate society around a shared history.
