Head of the Institute of National Memory: The Pantheon is not about collecting relics
The authorities have limited the number of future burials in the Pantheon to several dozen people.
Only a few dozen prominent Ukrainians are planned to be reinterred in the National Pantheon on the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory (UINM), Oleksandr Alferov, emphasized in an interview with the telethon that this site will not become a large-scale cemetery and is not intended for "collecting relics."
The head of the institution explained that the Pantheon will primarily reinter those figures who are currently buried abroad. According to Alferov, "the Pantheon is not about collecting relics," and therefore the remains of such classics as Taras Shevchenko, Lesia Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, and Ivan Kotliarevsky will not be transferred to the Lavra reserve — they will remain at their current burial sites.
"The Pantheon is not a cemetery; there will not be 300–500 burials there. Several dozen people will be reinterred there," Alferov stated.
According to the rules announced by the head of the UINM, a time requirement has been established for burial in the Pantheon. A historical figure, even from among military personnel, may only be reinterred there 25 years after their death. The official also urged people not to confuse this site with memorials to the heroes of the current war, emphasizing that the Pantheon is "not about immediacy."
As a reminder, the creation of the National Pantheon was initiated by President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose draft law was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on July 1. The government determined that the memorial complex will be located on the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Responsibility for the implementation of the project has been assigned to the Ministry of Culture, and the financing of the works will be provided from the state budget.
As the SPJ reported, a member of parliament explained which laws of Ukraine are violated by the creation of the Pantheon in the Lavra.
