Project of Ukraine’s National Military Memorial Cemetery passes state review

National Military Memorial Cemetery will be built on the territory of Hatne hromada. Stock photo: Cipango27/Getty Images

The design for the National Military Memorial Cemetery (NMMC), the largest war graves facility in Ukraine, has received positive feedback from a state expert panel. The next step will be announcing a construction tender.

Ukrderzhbudekspertyza, a specialised state-run expert organisation, confirmed that the cemetery’s design complies with current building codes, said Oleksandr Porkhun, acting Head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

The official confirmed that the memorial cemetery will be built on the territory of Hatne hromada in Kyiv Oblast. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]

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Oleksandr Porkhun also commented on the concerns of local residents who protested against the construction of a military cemetery in Hatne hromada in April 2024.

“There is a separate issue regarding the environmental impact assessment. No violations of the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population have been identified. There is no impact on the environment. Let me remind you that there was none. Now, this is confirmed by Ukrderzhbudekspertyza,” the official said.

The acting minister noted that the tender for the construction contractor is scheduled to be announced early next week.

“The defenders, who will soon find their final resting place here with honours, sacrificed their lives to save our lives, our land, our forests, and our common home,” Oleksandr Porkhun added.

Background:

• The idea of creating the NMMC was put forward by the Cabinet of Ministers (Ukrainian government) in October 2022, and the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) was tasked with developing the project.
• The KCSA approved the construction site in the Lysa Hora tract, which provoked opposition from activists and the government. This forced them to find another location, which became Bykivnia, a historic area in the centre of Kyiv.
• Relatives of the fallen soldiers also backed this decision. Following this, the Bykivnia Graves Reserve indicated the possibility that old graves and unexhumed bodies of victims of Stalinist repression may be on the site, potentially delaying the construction of the NMMC.
• Eventually, the government moved the construction of the war graves facility to Hatne hromada, which borders the city of…