The Ministry of Vet plans to create an all-Ukrainian map of the burials of fallen soldiers: details

Illustrative photo: Bumble-Dee/DEPOSITPHOTOS

The Ministry of Veterans Affairs plans to develop an all-Ukrainian map of the burials of fallen heroes.

This was stated by the Acting Minister of Veteran Affairs, military serviceman Oleksandr Porhun on the air of the national telethon “Edyny Novyni”.

“Currently the state institution “National Memorial military cemetery” is developing a very powerful site, which will have a map of burials.

And we put the map of burials not only on NMVK. We have ambitious plans to make this map of burials throughout the territory of our state”Porhun said.

According to him, the map will contain information about each buried soldier, in particular, about his place of service and death, as well as a brief history of his life.

Also in at. the minister said that the preparatory work for the first line of burials began today. The construction of the first phase is planned to begin on June 1.

“The first stage – this is the entrance to the NMVK, the square in front of the entrance to the complex itself, the square for the ceremony and the first sector of burials.” – says Porhun.

According to Oleksandr Porhun, the first burials at the NMVK may begin in the late summer or early fall of 2024, and the complex is planned to be fully built by 2027.

The general complex, in addition to the cemetery itself, will include a central avenue, a huge flagpole, a crematorium, a memorial to fallen defenders, two mourning halls, a central square, a parking lot for transport, administrative buildings, technical buildings, and a museum.

The graves of the heroes will be looked after by the employees of the National Memorial Military Cemetery.: the state assumed this duty, Porhun added.

Employees of the institution will also take into account the religious views of the buried soldiers.

“There will be tombstones on which symbols will be applied according to the faith of the heroes”Porhun clarified.

It will be recalled that earlier the Cabinet of Ministers officially determined the location of the National Memorial Military Cemetery.

The state enterprise “National Military Memorial Cemetery” was created in October 2022. Initially, the NMVK planned to create it on Lysia Gora in Kyiv, and then the options for the location of the cemetery changed many times.

Many relatives of the fallen soldiers, in particular the “Azov” Patronage Service, demanded the creation of the promised cemetery in Bykivna near the “Bykivnian Graves” reserve, because this location is located within the boundaries of Kyiv, moreover, it was initially supported by the UINP and the Ministry of Veterans.

The corresponding draft law was supported by the People’s Deputies, but the president never signed it, and the Institute of National Memory drew attention to the riskiness of this area. The Cabinet supported the new site.

At the beginning of December 2023, the parliament supported the draft law, which provides that the location of the cemetery will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Eventually, The Cabinet of Ministers finally approved the site near the Southern Cemetery in the Gatna community of the Fastiv district of the Kyiv region. AND The government approved the procedure for using 515 million hryvnias for the construction of the NMVK near Gatny.

Read more about the indignation of families due to the “delayed construction” of the NMVK, discussions about the location and conflicts between relatives and the former Minister of Veterans Affairs here.