This was reported by a Ukrinform correspondent.

First, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral, where Konovalets’ reburial is currently taking place. After the liturgy, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church led the memorial service before the coffin of the colonel of the Ukrainian People’s Republic Army.

“Yevhen Konovalets looked beyond the horizon of his own life and beyond the horizon of his generation’s life. He envisioned an independent Ukraine in the future and believed that Ukraine would come to be. Today, in this church, the power of his faith is particularly palpable, for that future has arrived,” emphasized Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President.

“One hundred years later, Konovalets has returned to Ukraine—the country for which he lived, fought, and died. And there is great historical justice in this. By returning Konovalets to his native land, Ukraine is reclaiming a part of itself, its heroes, and its memory,” Vereshchuk noted.

His Beatitude separately emphasized Konovalets’ special significance for the capital: as commander of the Sich Riflemen within the armed forces of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, he defended Kyiv from “communist Soviet thugs.”

The Primate is convinced that Konovalets’ legacy resonates particularly strongly today, as Ukraine once again fights for its freedom and statehood.

“He was someone who never lost hope, even when historical circumstances—particularly in the 1920s and 1930s—seemed to have put an end to the Ukrainians’ struggle for an independent, free, and united Ukrainian state. And today, as we pray for his eternal rest, asking the Lord God for forgiveness of his sins and transgressions and for God’s boundless mercy, we are called, together with you, to once again heed the voice of history as a teacher of life,” added the head of the UGCC.

His Beatitude believes this must be done to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, which led to the loss of Ukrainian statehood in the last century.

Summarizing the life example of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN)’s founder, he noted that “those who truly love never lose hope.”

Also present at the memorial service were the head of the Presidential Office, Kyrylo Budanov; a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Andrii Yusov; the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Oleksandr Alferov; the president of the Ukrainian Riflemen’s Association of Canada, Andrii Sukhanivsky; volunteer and civic activist Serhii Prytula; and others.

There were also many people in military uniform—both young and older—as well as ordinary concerned citizens.

The coffin itself, which stood next to a photograph of Konovalets in the church, was draped with a yellow-and-blue flag, and military insignia lay upon it. Several wreaths stood nearby—with red and yellow-and-blue flowers, as well as yellow-and-blue ribbons. People also placed orange, white, and yellow flowers, such as sunflowers, there.

As reported by Ukrinform, on Thursday, the remains of Colonel Yevhen Konovalets were transported to Ukraine, where they were received with full state and military honors.

A monument from Konovalets’ grave also arrived in the Lviv region from Rotterdam; it will be kept at the museum-estate of the colonel in Zashkiv.

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Konovalets’ remains to undergo series of scientific examinations upon return to Ukraine — Vereshchuk

In July, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a decision to reburial in Ukraine the remains of Colonel Yevhen Konovalets of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the first head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists.

On August 11, the exhumation of Konovalets’ remains took place at the Crossways Cemetery in Rotterdam.

Konovalets’ ashes will be reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery.

On May 25, a reburial ceremony for the remains of OUN leader Andrii Melnyk and his wife Sofia took place at the National Military Memorial Cemetery, attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Photos from Ukrinform can be purchased here

Photo in the text: Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ