Ukrainian parliament passes law to create National Pantheon, stoking Polish tensions over possible Bandera inclusion
Verkhovna Rada voted 287-0 on Wednesday to create a National Pantheon, honouring those who fought for Ukraine's independence across centuries, as the prospect of commemorating figures like Stepan Bandera draws renewed Polish criticism.
Background
President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced the draft law on Constitution Day, Sunday, declaring that no outside power would dictate Ukraine's choice of heroes.
No one will ever dictate how we should live, how to speak, whom to love, whom to thank or which heroes to respect.
The proposal came weeks after a diplomatic rift with Poland, when Warsaw revoked Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle for naming a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
Parliamentary passage
On Wednesday, the Verkhovna Rada approved the law in a single vote, with 287 deputies in favour and none against, from a chamber of 450. Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk had urged lawmakers to make history.
Today we, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the 9th convocation, will make a historic decision, establishing the legal basis for a special place of Ukrainian statehood. I would even say – the navel of Ukrainian statehood, a place where the best sons and daughters of our state and our nation will find their final rest, shelter and due reverence.
The parliamentary committee on humanitarian information policy had recommended the bill on Tuesday after a first reading on Monday drew 290 votes.
- President Zelensky names a military unit "Heroes of the UPA", sparking Polish criticism
- Polish President Nawrocki revokes Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle
- Zelensky unveils Ivan Mazepa bust and submits Pantheon bill to parliament on Constitution Day
- Parliamentary committee on humanitarian policy recommends adoption of the law
- Verkhovna Rada passes the law in a final 287-0 vote, sending it to the speaker and president
Who will be honoured?
The law foresees a government commission to determine which names enter the Pantheon. No list yet exists, but deputies and officials have floated candidates.
Bandera, as a person who proclaimed Ukrainian statehood in 1941 and strove all his life for Ukrainian independence, can undoubtedly be in the Pantheon. But there is no list yet. And currently these are just speculations.
Oleksandr Alfiorov, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, invoked hetman Ivan Mazepa's legacy and the right to a national narrative.
12 years of war for independence have given us the right to our own history. As hetman Ivan Mazepa wrote: ‘we have the right through the sabre.’
Zelensky had already unveiled a bust of Mazepa and announced a monument on the site of the toppled Lenin statue in Kyiv.
Polish reaction
The spectre of Stepan Bandera and UPA figures in the Pantheon has deepened friction with Poland. President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of Poland’s highest decoration in June after the unit naming incident. Prime Minister Donald Tusk and other officials joined the criticism.
I don’t want to point to specific names now, but we are receiving signals that Stepan Bandera may be on the list. That would be a critical message for our relations.
Polish media extensively covered Wednesday’s vote, with several outlets framing it as a step that could antagonise Warsaw.
Next steps
With the legal framework now in place, a special government commission will set procedures for sanctifying names. Stefanczuk said the Pantheon will “forever live both the glory and the freedom of Ukraine,” a memorial to those who built and defended the state. The law now goes to the speaker for immediate signature and then to the president for promulgation.
