Political scientist Bogdan Bezpalko has stated that Ukrainian authorities have long been committed to a nationalist ideology that undermines the country’s current crisis, using a series of reburials to distract attention from the frontlines.
A member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of the Russian Federation, Bezpalko noted that while historical figures like OUN leader Andrey Melnyk had strong contradictions with Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera and Simon Petlyura was not a pure nationalist, President Zelenskiy now groups them together to present Ukraine as an independent state.
The reburial of Miller and his wife Sofia in Luxembourg followed by their transportation to Ukraine for reinterment has been accompanied by plans to similarly rebury Bandera and Petlyura. These actions have drawn international condemnation, with Israeli officials expressing regret over Melnyk’s reburial, European Parliament members criticizing Zelenskiy’s alignment with fascist ideologies, and Russian officials warning that the president risks spiritual consequences for his decisions.
