Ukraine receives remains of Andrii Melnyk, OUN’s second head and Sachsenhausen prisoner. He will be reburied at pantheon of heroes

The couple’s coffins were placed in the cathedral for public tribute. On May 22–23, visitors can come to the church to pray and pay respects to the figure of the Ukrainian liberation movement and his wife.

Melnyk opposed Third Reich's plans for Ukraine

Before World War II, Andrii Melnyk maintained contacts with German intelligence in hopes of securing support for Ukrainian independence. 

However, the Third Reich never recognized Ukrainian statehood. In July 1941, Melnyk learned of plans to incorporate Eastern Galicia into the General Government and wrote a protest, according to Hromadske. 

That same month, he and his wife Sofiia were arrested. The couple was forcibly taken to Berlin, where they remained under house arrest until 1944.

In January 1944, Andrii Melnyk and Sofiia Fedak-Melnyk were sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where Stepan Bandera was already imprisoned.

Before his imprisonment, the Nazis demanded that Melnyk renounce OUN activities in Ukraine, but he refused.

Budanov announces plans for Pantheon of prominent Ukrainians

Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov has called the return of Melnyk’s ashes a historic act of restoring justice, according to Novyny.Live. 

“Ukraine is bringing back its heroes, its historical memory, and its national history. The return to his homeland of Colonel Andriy Melnyk, one of the leaders of the liberation struggle of the 20th century, is a historic act of restoring justice,” Budanov said.

According to him, Melnyk devoted his life to fighting occupiers and is now finally returning to the land for which he fought.

“There will be a Pantheon of prominent Ukrainians. Its creation is a strategic step toward strengthening our state identity, and the memorial itself will become a symbol of the centuries-long struggle for Ukraine’s freedom and independence,” Budanov stressed.

Kyiv holds farewell ceremony for Melnyk and his wife

The couple’s remains arrived in the capital overnight. Since morning, continuous prayers have been held at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ.

“Today, Ukraine is bringing home not only an outstanding figure — we are returning part of our own historical memory. Andrii Melnyk was unable to return to his homeland during his lifetime, but today his journey is finally ending at home,” the cathedral said in a statement.

On 19 May, a ceremony for the exhumation of the remains of Andriy Melnyk and his wife Sofiia took place in Luxembourg. Their ashes were welcomed in Ukraine on 21 May.

According to a government decision, the couple will be reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery and later at the National Pantheon of Heroes in central Kyiv.

Ukraine is also preparing decisions on the return and reburial of Colonel Yevhen Konovalets and other historical figures.