Zelensky submitted the draft law on June 28 to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. He announced the initiative in a speech on Constitution Day at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery. ‘No one will ever dictate to Ukraine which heroes to honor,’ Zelensky said. The pantheon is meant to unite the names of all heroes who fought for Ukraine over the centuries.
The bill defines the pantheon as a national memorial site for outstanding Ukrainians who contributed to independence, statehood, culture, or science. It is to be established in Kyiv. The head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Budanov, called the project a step toward restoring historical justice and consolidating society. ‘This document is a sign of our state maturity,’ Budanov said.
In Poland, the announcement met with fierce resistance. Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller, now one of the sharpest critics of Ukraine, wrote on X: ‘No one will dictate to us whom we help.’ Lawmaker Konrad Berkowicz from the far-right Konfederacja party called for stopping aid to Ukraine and blocking its EU accession. Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (PiS) also spoke of ‘another slap in the face for Poland.’ The government of Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski initially did not comment.
The background to the tensions is the historical assessment of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which in Poland is held responsible for massacres of Poles during World War II. In Ukraine, the UPA is seen as a symbol of resistance against the Soviet Union.
Source: www.bbc.com
