Dumenko: Our duty is to create a National Pantheon of Heroes
The head of the OCU stated that almost no graves of princes and hetmans have been preserved in Ukraine, and called for gathering their remains in a National Pantheon.
On July 14, 2026, the head of the OCU Epifaniy Dumenko declared the need to create a National Pantheon of Heroes during the "consecration" of a memorial sign to Hetman Ivan Mazepa at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
Dumenko claims that virtually no burials of outstanding figures of the past have been preserved in Ukraine. "Note that there is practically not a single grave of our glorious ancestors. There are neither princes nor hetmans – all are scattered around the world or their burial sites have been completely destroyed," said the head of the OCU.
According to him, one of the state's tasks should be the return of the remains of historical figures buried outside the country and the creation of a place for their reburial. Dumenko also called for commemorating in the National Pantheon the memory of contemporary servicemen who are participating in the defense of Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Dumenko called for developing the Lavra "as a pan-Christian shrine."
