On Tuesday, May 19, a ceremony was held at the Bonnevoie Cemetery in Luxembourg City (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) to exhume and transfer to Ukraine for reburial the remains of the head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and colonel in the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UNR), Andrii Melnyk and his wife, Sofia Fedak-Melnyk, took place at the Bonnevoie Cemetery.
The return of Andrii and Sofia Melnyk marked the first step in implementing a state initiative launched by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to repatriate the remains of prominent Ukrainians who, due to tragic historical circumstances, were forced to end their lives abroad.
The event was attended by Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Yaroslav Melnyk, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance Oleksandr Alferov, Bogdan Chervak, Head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists; Claude Radu, representative of the City of Luxembourg and Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Luxembourg; as well as representatives of the Ukrainian community in Luxembourg and Ukrainian and local media.
“Our Ukrainian heroes from different eras, who defended the idea of independence, fought for our state, and are buried in Europe, America, and other countries around the world, are returning home. We have the opportunity and the moral obligation to reburial them in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people deserve their historical memory, and it is this true memory that we are strengthening,” stated President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiga emphasized that the repatriation to Ukraine of the remains of Andriy Melnyk, one of the leaders of the OUN, and his wife marked the first instance of this magnitude in the entire history of Ukraine’s modern independence.
“We will continue to repatriate from abroad not only the remains of our military leaders but also those of other prominent figures of the Ukrainian national elite, as well as archival documents, historical sources, works of art, and numerous other artifacts that bear witness to Ukraine’s millennia-long presence on the map of Europe. In fact, this is not just about the past. It is about the future. It is about ensuring that we, our children, and our grandchildren know who we are, what we are fighting for, and believe that Ukraine will undoubtedly prevail,” the minister emphasized.
During the ceremony, a memorial service was held for the repose of the souls of Andrii Melnyk and Sofiia Fedak-Melnyk, led by Bishop Ihor Rantsia of the Diocese of St. Volodymyr the Great in Paris of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, concelebrated with Ukrainian clergy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its sincere gratitude to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in particular the Grand Ducal Family, the Government of Luxembourg, the City of Luxembourg, as well as all those who, over many decades, have preserved the memory of Andrii Melnyk and his family with dignity, respect, and care, for their support and assistance in organizing the ceremony, which has become an important act of historical justice and national remembrance.
We would like to extend our special gratitude to the Ukrainian community in Luxembourg. It is here that, for many years, the memory of Ukraine has been kept alive, prayers for Ukraine have been offered, and the bond between generations and a sense of unity have been maintained, far from our homeland.