Zelenskyy: Ukraine will do everything to return its heroes home
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine will step by step return home the Ukrainian heroes who fought for statehood and are buried outside the country.
"Today, there are still many names of those who fought for Ukraine, who inspired and created for the sake of Ukraine, and who, unfortunately, rest outside of Ukraine. Step by step, we will do everything to return every single true Ukrainian hero to their native land. This is a noble goal and our duty to them, and to all those with whom they fought side by side, so that Ukraine exists and remains true to itself," Zelenskyy said at the reburial ceremony of Colonel of the UNR Army and the first leader of the OUN, Yevhen Konovalets, on Tuesday.
The President emphasized that the return of Konovalets to Ukraine holds great historical significance. According to him, the colonel "has returned to the exact Ukraine he fought for and wanted" – a strong, sovereign, and independent state that develops its own army and shapes its own history.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine, remembering its liberation struggle, knows which mistakes must not be repeated and must clearly understand its national reference points and direction of development.
"A Ukraine that will never again be part of another state and will not forget its heroes," the Head of State highlighted.
He also expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian community in Canada, the Ukrainian National Federation, Ukrainian patriots who preserved the memory of Konovalets and his burial place for decades, as well as historians, diplomats, and the team at the Office of the President who worked toward returning the colonel to Ukraine.