Zelensky proposes National Pantheon law amid escalating historical dispute with Poland

Constitutional Day announcement

Volodymyr Zelensky submitted a bill to Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on 28 June 2026 during Constitution Day celebrations. The legislation proposes the creation of a National Pantheon to permanently record the names of individuals who "fought for Ukraine and inspired Ukraine" across different eras and centuries. Speaking in front of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Zelensky framed the initiative as a cornerstone of statehood in a year marking the 35th anniversary of restored independence on 24 August.

No one will ever command us how to live, how to speak, whom to love, whom to be grateful to, and which heroes to respect.

The president said the names would be inscribed "with the highest respect and due care" from a self-respecting Ukraine that values its citizens and defends "our right to be Ukrainians."

Roots of the diplomatic crisis

The bill arrives after a sharp deterioration in Polish-Ukrainian relations. In late May, Zelensky named a special operations unit of Ukraine's Armed Forces after the "Heroes of the UPA" (Ukrainian Insurgent Army). He justified the decision as restoring national military traditions and recognising exemplary service in defending Ukraine's territorial integrity. Polish officials reacted with fury. The UPA is held responsible in Poland for the mass killing of Poles in Volhynia between 1943 and 1945, described in Polish historiography as genocide.

Today I submitted to parliament the draft law on the Ukrainian National Pantheon. The names of all heroes who in various epochs and centuries fought for Ukraine and inspired Ukraine will be gathered and forever recorded in our history.

A cascade of returned honours

On 19 June, Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced he was stripping Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest distinction, awarded in April 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda for deepening friendly relations and cooperation on democracy and security. Zelensky responded the following day by returning the order to Warsaw via courier. The package arrived at the Presidential Chancellery on 22 June, confirmed by spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz. The Chancellery reportedly had to pay the delivery fee.

Three former Ukrainian presidents, Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko, subsequently renounced their Orders of the White Eagle. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanow, his deputy Ihor Zhovkva, and Ukraine's ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar relinquished other Polish state decorations. In a reciprocal gesture, PiS chairman Jarosław Kaczyński announced he would return the Ukrainian Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, awarded to him in 2022.

Events in Gdańsk cancelled

Zelensky and Foreign Minister Sybiha both pulled out of the Conference for the Reconstruction of Ukraine scheduled to take place in Gdańsk. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry described the bilateral relationship as in "crisis." The dispute has disrupted cooperation at a time when Ukraine depends heavily on Western and Polish support.

Mazepa bust installed

Alongside the legislative move, Zelensky announced the installation of a bust of Ivan Mazepa, a 17th-century Ukrainian hetman and statesman, at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The gesture reinforces the broader theme of asserting Ukraine's independent historical narrative. The National Pantheon law now awaits parliamentary consideration.