“No one will tell us which heroes to honor” - On June 28, 2026, President Vladimir Zelensky officially introduced bill No. 15360 on the Ukrainian National Pantheon to the Verkhovna Rada. This memorial complex in Kyiv is designed to unite the names of outstanding figures who fought for the independence of the state in different historical eras. How the Pantheon will work “No one will ever tell us how to live, how to speak, who we should love, who we should be grateful to, and what heroes we should honor.”. The names of all heroes will forever be inscribed in our history with a capital letter with great respect from our state of Ukraine,” said Vladimir Zelensky. To avoid politicization and ensure public consensus, the bill proposes a clear and strict procedure for the selection of figures to be immortalized in the Pantheon: 1. . It will include historians of NASU, representatives of the UINP, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Defense, as well as public figures and veterans on a parity basis.. . . Each application requires a detailed historical and biographical substantiation and verification of the absence of “dark spots” (for example, war crimes or cooperation with repressive authorities). . Citizens will be able to express their position through government digital platforms (in particular “Diyu”). . Thanks to such a complex procedure, the Pantheon must be protected from opportunistic political changes - the hero who has passed this sieve will remain revered forever. Warsaw is outraged Despite the transparent mechanism, in Poland this step and Kyiv’s rhetoric were received with outright disappointment. According to Polish media, citing sources in the government of Donald Tusk, government officials believe that Kyiv is deliberately aggravating. The initiative with the Pantheon fell on the most toxic soil. It was preceded by an escalation caused by the naming of the Ukrainian special forces unit after the Heroes of the UPA in May.. The reaction of both sides in June 2026 went beyond diplomatic boundaries: Polish President Karol Nawrocki deprived Vladimir Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle. In response, Zelensky defiantly returned the award. As a sign of solidarity, the former presidents of Ukraine, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andrei Sybiga and other top officials renounced their Polish orders en masse. On the Polish side, opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski also announced the return of the Ukrainian order. What's next?

The National Pantheon Bill records the transition of the conflict to a protracted stage with three key consequences: 1. . Warsaw perceives this as demonstrative neglect. . . The new law will only add more arguments to radical forces in the Polish political establishment on the eve of the elections.. The modern architecture of Ukrainian-Polish relations is in deep crisis. If the parties do not find a pragmatic format for dialogue, this split risks becoming the biggest geopolitical gain for Moscow.

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