The remains of the second leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Andriy Melnyk, and his wife, Sofia Fedak-Melnyk, were reburied in Ukraine. The solemn reburial ceremony took place on May 25 at the National Military Memorial Cemetery in Kyiv region.
This is reported by Finway
Participation of State Officials and the Symbolism of the Event
The ceremony was attended by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as high-ranking officials, including the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, the head of the government, Yuliya Svyrydenko, the head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Budanov, government representatives, and the third President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko. The presence of state officials emphasized the significance of returning prominent figures to Ukrainian historical memory.
“Colonel Andriy Melnyk has returned to a different Ukraine: not the one he was forced to leave, but the one he dreamed of. He dreamed of it, along with thousands of other significant Ukrainian figures. I thank everyone who truly strives to keep our Ukrainian national memory alive. I am grateful to each and every one who worked to ensure that the return of such magnificent Ukrainian figures took place and that the Ukrainian people received their pantheon of heroes,” added Zelensky.
The History of Andriy Melnyk and His Contribution
The remains of Andriy Melnyk and Sofia Fedak-Melnyk were exhumed in Luxembourg on May 19. It was at that time that President Zelensky announced preparations for decisions regarding the reburial of Colonel Yevhen Konovalets and other significant historical figures.
Andriy Melnyk was a colonel in the army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and led the OUN in 1938 after the death of Yevhen Konovalets. For his activities, he faced persecution: he was imprisoned in Polish jails and also in a German concentration camp, and from 1945 he lived in exile.
In 1957, Melnyk initiated the creation of a global organization of Ukrainians, which later, in 1967, resulted in the establishment of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians. Andriy Melnyk died in 1964 in Cologne, Germany, and spent the last 18 years of his life in Luxembourg, where he was buried. Only now, after decades, have his remains returned to his homeland.
According to archival information, news of Melnyk’s death in the Soviet Union was learned from a report by Radio Liberty.
The return of the remains of Andriy Melnyk and his wife to Ukraine has become a significant event for national memory and the history of the state, as well as providing a new impetus for the idea of creating a Pantheon of outstanding Ukrainians, which was first voiced by Viktor Yushchenko during his presidency.