The ashes of OUN leader Andriy Melnyk are being returned to Ukraine
The remains of Andriy Melnyk, head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, and his wife Sofia were exhumed in Luxembourg, after which their remains are being prepared for reburial in Ukraine. The event took place with the participation of Ukrainian representatives and is part of the process of returning historical figures to their homeland. This was reported by Bohdan Chervak, First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting and current head of the OUN, who specified that the ceremony took place on May 19 in Luxembourg.
According to him, everything took place in an atmosphere that recreated the 1964 burial ritual when Melnyk was laid to rest: there were roses, OUN flags, a prayer service, and a quiet memorial ceremony. “Everything took place in accordance with his 1964 funeral ceremony: roses, the OUN flag, a prayer service, mournful singing, and tears,” Chervak noted.
At the same time, he emphasized, this time the event had a different symbolic meaning, as the commemoration took place with the participation of representatives of independent Ukraine. “The Ukrainian state, to whose uncompromising struggle for independence he dedicated his life, paid tribute to the great Colonel,” Chervak added.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance. After the ceremony concluded, the remains of Melnik and his wife were transported to Ukraine, where they are scheduled to be reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery.
The statement emphasizes that this step holds symbolic significance for a nation striving to bring back its historical figures and honor their memory on their native soil.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved a decision to reburial in Ukraine the remains of Andriy Melnik, head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, and his wife, Sofia Fedak-Melnik.
Following the publication of a UA.News investigation into former banker Petro Melnyk, who is implicated in several criminal cases, his name was removed from the list of advisors to People’s Deputy Anatoliy Burmich.
He was deemed unfit for service and removed from military registration by the Dnipro Military Registration and Enlistment Office in Kyiv. According to documents signed by Medical Examination Commission Chair Olena Oleshevko, Melnik “diligently” underwent a medical examination that day.
However, the materials of the criminal proceedings (Articles 332 and 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) paint a different picture. Border crossing data show that on the day of his “recovery” in Kyiv, Melnik was enjoying the sights of Montenegro. Just three days after the Medical Examination Commission, he landed at Chisinau Airport on a flight from Tivat. A handwriting analysis put an end to this story: the signatures on the medical record and the application for a military ID were not made by Melnik, but by a completely different person.
In Ukraine, in May 2026, mobilization rules will remain in effect without changes if martial law is extended. The order of conscription will, as before, depend on age, military status, and the presence of a deferment.
As a reminder, parents with multiple children in Ukraine are entitled to a deferment from mobilization, but this is not automatically guaranteed.
