The head of the Institute of National Remembrance explained the concept behind the creation of the Pantheon at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

The creation of a National Pantheon on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra does not involve large-scale burials, and the number of people to be buried there is limited to a few dozen. The authorities are clearly defining the scope of the project, emphasizing that the memorial complex will not become a place for “collecting relics.”

Oleksandr Alferov, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINR), explained in an interview broadcast on during a telethon that the Pantheon is intended primarily for the reburial of prominent Ukrainian figures who are currently buried abroad. At the same time, it is emphasized that there are no plans to transfer the remains of iconic literary figures such as Taras Shevchenko, Lesya Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, and Ivan Kotlyarevsky to the territory of the Lavra Reserve.

According to established rules, a time requirement applies to candidates for reburial: reburial is possible only 25 years after the death of a historical figure. The official particularly emphasized that this site is not a memorial for heroes of the current war and does not provide for “immediate” burials.

As a reminder, earlier, the head of the OCU, Epiphanius Dumenko , approved an initiative to create a National Pantheon of Heroes in Ukraine on the grounds of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. In his view, such a step is necessary “to restore historical memory and properly immortalize the names of outstanding statesmen and military figures.”