"Live with the ashes

The National Memorial Military Cemetery has not yet been built in Ukraine, although the Ministry of Justice promised to hold the first burials in October-November 2023. While the authorities are looking for a "relevant place", the families of the dead defenders keep the ashes of loved ones at home for over a year. The history of the National Memorial Military Cemetery began in 2019-2020, says Focus exader of the Minister of Veterans Affairs Konstantin Tatarkin.

In 2022, the Verkhovna Rada passed the relevant law. At the same time, a state institution was created a National Memorial Military Cemetery and active searches for the right place for construction began. "At the beginning of 2023, the Ministry of Veterans considered five variants of plots.

One in Bykivna, the other-near the Gatnen community of Kyiv region, in fact Vita-Poshtov, the third plot-in the territory of the memorial complex, where the homeland is located, the fourth-in Pushcha is located -Vodils and heel -in Belgorodka of the Kiev region. We received a response from the Ministry of Culture for each plot. The smallest remarks were to Bikivna. It was chosen, "Tatarkin says.

In May 2023, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law that enshrined a specific place of construction of the new cemetery-the territory near the National Historical and Memorial Reserve "Bikivnyansky Tombs" and sent it to the President.

The Cabinet of Ministers allocated funds from the budget-65 million UAH, the Kyiv City Council-approved a place, at the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory (UIPP) agreed with the idea, and the Ministry of Veterans convinced the families of the dead, which in October-November the first burial of heroes would begin new cemetery. However, the President, four months later, did not sign. According to Tatarkin, the reason is that the history with the Bykivina has caused public resonance.

The locals were dissatisfied with this decision. They said that they sufficient one memorial complex, built in the memory of victims of political repression. In addition, there are unexplored burial places in the territory, which eventually became one of the reasons to pause a project.

In August 2023, without any discussions with the families of the dead, the Cabinet of Ministers on the beginning of the experimental project - the construction of the National Memorial Military Cemetery, but not in Bykivn, as it was said, but in the village of Gatne, Kyiv region. The first stage of construction was promised to be completed by the end of the year. And in general, finish the project by 2025.

Focus appealed to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs to find out at what stage the project is implemented, why the place was changed and which provides for the master plan for the construction of the cemetery if it exists. However, at the time of material publication, the editorial staff did not receive an answer.

On September 11, the First Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs Oleksandr Pryhun reported on the national telephone that the works of veterans reported that technically and documentary work had begun. "We plan to start construction directly as soon as possible," the official said. According to him, the new location was chosen by several criteria.

In particular, because of a convenient location with existing public transport, as well as the absence of "legal obstacles that can stop the construction of NVMC". Many families of the dead live with the ashes of their relatives, waiting for the construction of the memorial. And they do not understand why the authorities pretended that the Law on the National Memorial Military Cemetery does not exist.

According to the lawyer of "Legal Hundred" Alla Beloshenko, who provides assistance to the participants of the Russian-Ukrainian war and their relatives, many families of the dead live with the ashes of their relatives for over a year, waiting for the construction of the memorial. And they do not understand why the authorities pretended that the Law on the National Memorial Military Cemetery does not exist.

The new Cabinet resolution does not suit the families of the dead, as they fear that the experimental project can pause at any of the stages, and the process will be stretched for many years. "In August, another bill was registered in the Council. The deputies propose to transfer the right of the Cabinet of Ministers to determine the place of construction of the National Military Memorial Cemetery.

If it is approved, there is a risk that every new construction site will be studied and why finding reasons why it is impossible to build a cemetery. When they made a decision about a bull, there were no problems at first, but then the opinion of the ministry changed sharply.

We have fears that the current experimental project involves several stages of construction, on any of which, if something goes wrong, the experiment will not be brought to the final Points, " - says the expert in a conversation with focus. The former adviser to the veterans' affairs adds that the main problem is why there is still no cemeteries - inefficient communication by the ministry with public figures and experts.

The area in the territory of Gatny, where the project should now be implemented, had claims to the Ministry of Culture. "If the ministry had a discussion from the very beginning, listened to the position of ecologists, community residents, lawyers, problems. stops of construction. It is not possible to neglect such things only because it is urgent to build, because they have already missed all the terms, " - adds Tatarkin.

The plans from the officials - to scatter the graves in all cemeteries of Ukraine, so that the number of dead in the war does not have politically harm. The expert notes that the construction of the cemetery is a long history. By the end of the year, the first few burials can be held, but the main stage, including the creation of an administrative premises, farewell halls, other objects of the master plan, will be able to implement next year.

Due to the lack of effective communication of the defenders' family, they believe that the plans from officials - to scatter the graves in all cemeteries of Ukraine, so that the number of dead in the war does not not harm, as the head of Azov's patronage service, Olena Tolkachova, said. Tatarkin adds that partially solving the problem of long construction could be the recommendations of the Ministry to establish sectors in the territory for burial of fallen defenders.

"People should be able to be buried not only in the capital. And there should be recommendations from the Ministry to create special sectors. Some communities did not wait for such a decision from above, and began to create their own projects. A good example - Lutsk. They held a competition of projects, approved The plan and made the sector. But this is their personal initiative, "the expert adds.

After 18 months of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the issue of establishing a national memorial military cemetery remains open. Experts believe that the project will be able to implement, but when and at what price - no one knows. "How much a resource, time, lost communication will go, and most importantly, the tears of members of the families of the dead. And who will be responsible, when the year actually passed, as promised, money is allocated, and there is no result," Tatarkin summarized.