Events marking the nationwide Day of Remembrance of Ukraine’s Defenders who died fighting for the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity were held at the National Military Memorial Cemetery (NMMC), along with the ceremonial burials of three service members whose identities have not yet been established.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, the event was attended by Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov, Deputy Head of the OP Iryna Vereschuk, Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Vitaliy Kim, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Vsevolod Chentsov, Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity Denys Uliutin, Minister of Digital Transformation Oksana Ferchuk, Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) Oleksandr Pivnenko, military personnel, clergy and families of fallen Defenders.
In particular, at 9:00 a.m., those present joined the nationwide Minute of Silence.
Following the ceremonial burials, representatives of various religious denominations held a memorial service for the fallen soldiers.
A separate part of the event was devoted to reviving the Ukrainian wreath-laying tradition at the initiative of the Vshanuі public organization.
Families of the fallen and everyone wishing to participate could jointly weave commemorative wreaths in honor of Ukraine’s Defenders, both men and women.
The wreaths were laid at burial sites on the NMMC grounds, in particular at the graves of Unknown Defenders.
"Interaction with families does not end after burial. We stay in touch with families and hold commemorative events together. It is fundamentally important for us that the format for honoring the memory is not determined solely by the state, but is developed in cooperation with families, taking into account their proposals and wishes. This was also the case during the event marking Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24. It was the families who told us about the initiative of the Ivan Honchar National Center of Folk Culture and Museum to honor the memory of fallen Defenders, both men and women, at cemeteries. They proposed holding such a commemoration together and inviting representatives of the museum. We were happy to support this initiative and implement it together," the press service quoted NMMC Director Yaroslav Proniutkin as saying.
He added that it was the families who shared with the NMMC the initiative to revive the Ukrainian wreath-laying tradition – the joint weaving of commemorative wreaths.
"This is precisely how a culture of remembrance is formed – through constant dialogue and interaction with families. After all, this is about the memory of the people dearest to them, so their wishes and participation must be decisive," Proniutkin added.
As reported, in October 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the creation by the Ministry for Veterans Affairs of the National Military Memorial Cemetery as a state institution, and in August 2023 approved the implementation of its project by August 2025 in the Hatne community near Kyiv.
In August 2024, the NMMC selected the winner for construction of the cemetery’s first phase. It was the Kyiv-based Building UA consortium. In a repeat tender for construction of the NMMC’s second phase, the Construction Company Paritetbudinvest won in July 2025.
On May 30, 2025, the NMMC announced that construction of the first launch complex of the cemetery’s first phase had been completed.
With the participation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a military burial ceremony for unknown soldiers with military honors was held at the NMMC on August 29, 2025, in honor of fallen Heroes whose identities have not yet been established. This was the first burial on the memorial’s grounds. At the time, Veterans Affairs Minister Natalia Kalmykova rejected statements that the burials on the NMMC grounds were illegal.
On August 22, newly appointed Veterans Affairs Minister Vitaliy Kim announced an audit of the NMMC’s construction.
During its first year since opening, 495 Ukrainian Defenders were buried at the NMMC and six exhumations were carried out.
