Kathmandu— Ukraine has exhumed the remains of Evgeny Konovalets, the founder of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) – a group known for collaborating with Nazi Germany – from a cemetery in the Netherlands. The move, announced by President Vladimir Zelensky’s office, is intended to rebury Konovalets as a national hero within Ukraine. The exhumation took place Tuesday in Rotterdam and was overseen by several top Ukrainian officials, including Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga, with plans for temporary interment at the National Military Memorial Cemetery followed by a farewell ceremony in Kiev.

OUN’s Historical Collaboration

Evgeny Konovalets fought against Soviet forces during the Russian Civil War as a colonel in the army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and subsequently led the OUN from its founding in 1929 until his death in 1938. Declassified documents reveal that a group under Konovalets, known as “Consul I,” provided German intelligence with information on Poland starting in 1925 and engaged in espionage and sabotage within the Soviet Union after 1939.

Zelensky’s ‘Pantheon of Outstanding Ukrainians’

The reburial is part of Zelensky's broader initiative to establish a “Pantheon of outstanding Ukrainians,” which he describes as fulfilling a “moral duty” to honor those who fought for Ukrainian independence. Kiev previously reburied another OUN leader, Andrey Melnik, in May, continuing this pattern of honoring figures with controversial pasts.

International Condemnation and Diplomatic Fallout

The move has drawn strong criticism from Russia, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accusing Zelensky of glorifying Nazi collaborators and “dancing on the bones” of their victims. The reburial also follows a diplomatic rupture between Ukraine and Poland sparked by Zelensky’s decision to name a special forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which was responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 Poles during the Volhynia massacres of 1943-1945.

Konovalets' remains are expected to arrive in Ukraine soon and will be temporarily interred at the National Military Memorial Cemetery before a formal farewell ceremony is held.

(With inputs from RT)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.