Budanov supported the creation of the Ukrainian National Pantheon
Kirill Budanov, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, welcomed the Verkhovna Rada’s adoption of the law establishing the Ukrainian National Pantheon, calling it an important step toward strengthening Ukrainian statehood.
“This is an important and long-overdue decision. A self-respecting state must have a place where those who, at various times, created, restored, defended, and developed Ukraine are honored with dignity,” Budanov emphasized.
According to him, the Ukrainian National Pantheon will become a symbol of the historical continuity of Ukrainian statehood and will confirm that modern, independent Ukraine is the result of the struggle, labor, sacrifice, and service of many generations of Ukrainians.
Budanov also stressed that the creation of the Pantheon is a manifestation of society’s unity and responsibility, as a shared historical memory unites citizens and must be passed on to future generations.
He specifically thanked the President of Ukraine for the initiative, as well as everyone who contributed to the drafting, support, and adoption of the relevant law.
“This is an important step toward strengthening Ukrainian statehood,” noted the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Bill No. 15360 on the creation of the Ukrainian National Pantheon in its entirety. The bill was approved by 287 members of parliament.
The law stipulates that the Pantheon may honor heads of state or persons of equivalent status who led Rus’, the Kingdom of Rus’, the Ukrainian Cossack State (Zaporizhian Host), the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the West Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Ukrainian State, and Carpathian Ukraine.
Presidents of Ukraine will also be eligible for such honors, with the exception of those who were removed from office through impeachment in accordance with the Constitution.
The document also provides for the possibility of honoring:
- commanders-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the war for independence;
- individuals who made a historically significant contribution to the attainment and restoration of Ukraine’s independence;
- figures who have made a significant contribution to the defense of the state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity;
- outstanding figures in culture, science, sports, the development of the Ukrainian literary language, and civil society;
- Nobel Prize laureates and world-renowned figures associated with Ukraine.
In exceptional cases, the law permits the honorary reburial of the remains of distinguished individuals in the Pantheon alongside their immediate family members.
At the same time, the law prohibits the honoring of individuals convicted of crimes against national security, peace, and the international legal order, as well as those subject to legislation condemning totalitarian regimes and prohibiting the propaganda of Russian imperial and Nazi policies.
He announced this on his Telegram channel.
Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved, in principle and in its entirety, draft law No. 15360, which provides for the construction of the Ukrainian National Pantheon in the capital.
Poland described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s introduction of the bill on the creation of the National Pantheon as “actions of an escalatory nature.” Kyiv’s decision sparked a political reaction in Warsaw.
