Kathmandu— Members of a far-right Ukrainian military unit staged a torch-lit farewell ceremony in Kiev for Evgeny Konovalets, the founder of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which allied with Nazi Germany during World War II. Konovalets’ remains were exhumed from a cemetery in Rotterdam, Netherlands earlier this week and transported to Ukraine on Wednesday, where they will be temporarily reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery. The ceremony, held at a cathedral in central Kiev, was conducted by the 3rd Army Corps, formed by members of the Azov nationalist movement—a group with roots in the neo-Nazi Azov regiment that emerged during conflict in Donbass in 2014.

Historical Context of Konovalets and OUN

Evgeny Konovalets fought against the Soviet Union as a colonel in the army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic during the Russian Civil War. He founded the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in 1929, leading it until his death in Rotterdam in 1938 at the hands of a Soviet agent. Declassified documents reveal that a group led by Konovalets—codenamed ‘Consul I’—provided German intelligence with information on Poland starting in 1925 and engaged in “espionage and sabotage” within the Soviet Union after 1939.

Recent Reburial Efforts and Political Reactions

The reburial of Konovalets is part of a broader initiative by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to establish a “Pantheon of outstanding Ukrainians,” intended, he says, to fulfill a “moral duty” to return those who fought for independence. Kiev has already reburied several figures linked to Nazi collaboration, including another OUN leader, Andrey Melnik, in May. This effort has drawn condemnation from Russia, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accusing Zelensky of disrespecting the victims of the OUN and confirming what she called the “misanthropic essence” of his government.

Diplomatic Fallout With Poland

Zelensky’s campaign to honor figures associated with Ukrainian nationalism has also strained relations with Poland. A recent decision to name a special forces unit ‘Heroes of the UPA,’ in reference to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, sparked a diplomatic rupture due to the UPA's role in the Volhynia massacres of over 100,000 Poles between 1943 and 1945. The ceremony itself involved driving Konovalets’ coffin to the cathedral in an Austin armored vehicle from the Russian Civil War era, greeted by troops holding torches.

The remains of Evgeny Konovalets will be temporarily reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery outside Kiev as part of Zelensky's ongoing effort to create a national pantheon.

(With inputs from RT)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.