A bust of Hetman Ivan Mazepa was unveiled at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

A ceremonial unveiling of a bust of Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Mazepa took place on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the event an important step toward restoring historical justice, according to LB.ua.

During the event, the head of state also shared plans to further commemorate the hetman. According to the president, a full-scale monument to Ivan Mazepa should be erected in the very center of Kyiv—at the site where the Lenin monument was dismantled in December 2013 during the Revolution of Dignity. “I am confident that where Lenin fell, Mazepa will stand firm,” Zelensky emphasized.

After the Lenin monument was demolished, the pedestal remained empty for a long time, and city officials discussed various options for improving this public space, including creating a barrier-free environment or installing a fountain.

At the same time, it is worth noting that Ivan Mazepa remains a controversial historical figure, since in 1708, during the events of the Great Northern War between the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Sweden, he, as hetman of the Zaporozhian Host, betrayed Russian Tsar Peter I by siding with Swedish King Charles XII. As a result of Mazepa’s decision, many churches on the territory of present-day Ukraine were ravaged by the Swedes. For these actions, Hetman Ivan Mazepa was excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church, and this excommunication remains in effect to this day.