The remains of Andrii Melnyk, a prominent leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and a colonel in the Ukrainian People’s Republic army, were reinterred on May 25 at the National Military Memorial Cemetery in Kyiv. The ceremony was attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky, Chief of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and various Ukrainian political and military figures.
During the ceremony, President Zelensky emphasized the ongoing efforts by the Ukrainian government and various stakeholders to repatriate notable Ukrainian political figures and heroes. He stated, “People who came from different parts of the political spectrum and whose fates were not simple, but who were united by faith in Ukraine, the strength to fight for it, and the desire to see Ukraine independent. Such great figures, who today rest not at home, but are scattered around the world due to historical injustices, deserve to be home. […] They would surely wish to be at home.”
“We are currently working on the repatriation of other prominent Ukrainian figures. We have already begun efforts to return Yevhen Konovalets home, along with many others. It is extraordinarily symbolic that our contemporary Ukrainian heroes, who have liberated Ukraine from Russian control during the full-scale war, will now rest alongside Ukrainians from previous generations who also fought for Ukraine to be itself, to be free,” Zelensky remarked.
The President expressed gratitude to all involved in the efforts to bring Ukrainian heroes back to their homeland. He stated, “Together with Kyrylo Budanov and the team at the Office of the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ukrainian government, and all who are engaged, we are giving significant meaning to a word that is often mentioned and should be fully articulated: respect. Respect for Ukrainian heroes. Glory to every Ukrainian hero! Glory to all our Ukrainian soldiers! Glory to our people! Glory to Ukraine!”
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Background on Andrii Melnyk
According to the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, Andrii Melnyk was a military and political figure of the 20th century. He served as a colonel in the Ukrainian People’s Republic army and was a close associate and relative of Yevhen Konovalets.
Melnyk was also a co-founder of the Ukrainian Military Organization (UVO) and served as its regional commander. His active involvement in Ukrainian affairs led to his arrest in 1924 and subsequent five-year imprisonment in Polish prisons.
After Konovalets’ death in 1938, Melnyk succeeded him as the leader of the OUN, following Konovalets’ last wishes. During World War II, he was in Berlin and initially hoped for collaboration with Hitler to establish Ukrainian armed formations, but he soon became disillusioned with German policies regarding Ukraine.
Following a split within the OUN, Melnyk led the more moderate faction. He organized the dispatch of “campaign groups” to major cities in Ukraine to promote propaganda and managed OUN activities in Ukrainian territories, which drew the ire of the Nazis. From early 1942, he was under house arrest and subsequently imprisoned in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp from February 1944.
After World War II, Melnyk spent some time in displaced persons camps before receiving an invitation from the Grand Duke of Luxembourg to be his guest. From late 1945, he resided in Luxembourg.
In the post-war period, he dedicated himself to consolidating émigré forces. In 1947, he was elected lifetime head of the OUN. In 1957, he proposed the establishment of a World Congress of Ukrainians, which was realized after his death.
Melnyk passed away on November 1, 1964, in Cologne and was buried in the Bonvaux municipal cemetery in Luxembourg.
The reinterment of Andrii Melnyk, a key figure in Ukrainian nationalism, reflects ongoing efforts to honor and repatriate notable Ukrainian leaders. President Zelensky highlighted the significance of these actions in recognizing the contributions of past and present heroes in Ukraine's struggle for independence.