Yevhen Konovalets' remains exhumed in Rotterdam for repatriation to Ukraine

The remains of Yevhen Konovalets, the first leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), have been exhumed from the Crooswijk Cemetery in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Konovalets, a colonel in the Ukrainian People's Republic army, was assassinated in Rotterdam in 1938 by a Soviet NKVD agent using a bomb hidden in a box of chocolates.

Following the exhumation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the remains will be repatriated to Ukraine. The remains are scheduled to be temporarily interred at a military cemetery near Kyiv before being moved to the newly established Ukrainian National Pantheon. This decision follows a July parliamentary vote to create the Pantheon to honor figures central to Ukrainian history.

The repatriation has drawn international attention, with the Russian embassy in The Hague criticizing the move as an attempt to glorify nationalists. Additionally, the event highlights ongoing historical tensions regarding the legacy of the OUN and its role during the mid-20th century.