Last week, at the invitation of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, the RPR Coalition had the opportunity to visit the construction site of the National Military Memorial Cemetery.

This site is expected to lay the foundation for a new and dignified culture of military burials. However, from the beginning, the construction process lacked transparency and contradicted acceptable democratic practices.

Previously, the RPR Coalition supported an appeal from more than 130 military personnel, civil society, and cultural figures, organizations, and associations to the Ukrainian authorities, calling for transparency in decision-making regarding the construction of the National Military Memorial Cemetery.

Today, we are grateful to all those involved for initiating a dialogue necessary for a proper and responsible development process of the NMMC.

The public, the expert community, and military personnel are interested in ensuring that the culture of military burials in Ukraine is truly dignified.

Executive Director of the Union, Olga Lymar, summarized the visit: “We continue to insist on holding a comprehensive and open competition for constructing the National Military Memorial Cemetery, which would consider various aspects: symbolism, informational value, and environmental sustainability. This is the least society can do to bury fallen heroes with dignity.”

Photo: Taras Ishchyk; The Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine