Ukraine has commenced burials at the National Military Memorial Cemetery (NMMC) south of Kyiv. Proposals for the creation of a military memorial cemetery were first raised in 2015 but made little progress because of a lack of political will to establish a separate military burial ground.
From a social standpoint Ukrainians traditionally buried their fallen relatives in their local cemeteries, where streets were named after them, where they were known personally and visits to their grave was easier.
However, the scheme took on momentum following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion – for two reasons.
Firstly, Russia’s unfounded aggression accelerated the processes of national identification. Many Ukrainians began to push back against decades of Russification switching from speaking Russian to Ukrainian – part of which was a demand for a way to memorialize the sacrifices of Ukraine’s forces.
Anton Drobovych, historian and former head of the Institute of National Memory, one of the initiators of the idea of establishing the NMMC, says “Culture of memory, respect and commemoration consists of many things. A large number of them are material. These can be museums, monuments, cemeteries. This is part of memory. Today Ukraine is creating – rather, reviving – its traditions of memory and forming memory of the current war.”
The second reason is more urgent and practical. Cemeteries in the capital, Kyiv, and the wider region – the most populated parts of Ukraine – are running out of burial space for both soldiers and civilians; only one currently remains open for burials.
Attempts to create honorific sections for military burials at other cemeteries, have also run into the lack of space – none more so than at the Kyiv’s Southern Cemetery which is close to the site of the NMMC.
Graveyard workers said that space in these cemeteries are likely to run out in a few months with no end to the war in sight.
Design of the NMMC
The military cemetery is located next to the already existing Southern Necropolis – one of Kyiv’s largest cemeteries.
Key features include:
A new signed, access road leading from the highway.
A free bus runs from the city along with a dedicated parking lot.
Construction of the site is ongoing. Currently, 6,000 burial sectors have been prepared, total square will be over 130 hectares.
“The sectors here are clearly rectangular, everything is marked out with straight paths between them, everything points to militarism and discipline,” explains veteran Kyrylo Dorolenko, deputy head of the Department and head of the Patriotic Education Division of the Ministry of Veterans’ Commemoration and Remembrance Directorate – the body responsible for establishing the NMMC.
Comparisons with equivalent US and European military memorials
In preparation for the NMMC, the organizers examined existing examples around the world, including America’s Arlington, France’s Verdun Memorial and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, among others.
“What’s shared with Arlington is the unification of burials. A single style, clear spatial organization, that is, standardization. And, of course, a single large military cemetery,” says Drobovych.
As in Arlington, the burial plots will incorporate manicured lawns, open spaces, alongside trees preserved from the original site. The NMMC will be maintained by the state – in perpetuity.
“Artificial flowers and individual grave designs will not be permitted and individual fences or big monuments will not be allowed. A single neat look will be preserved. Fresh flowers are permitted, but as soon as they wilt and lose their appearance, they will be removed by staff. Graves will be under round-the-clock care and supervision, cameras and security will be installed,” cemetery representative Lesia Kachor says.
The first burials are already taking place, along with the temporary burial of 27 unidentified defenders. All were interred with appropriate military honors.
New grave sites are being prepared by cemetery workers. They carefully remove the soil in such a way that make the lawned areas are neat and irrigation ensures the grass will not dry out in hot weather.
“Just don’t photograph our faces, do it from the back,” one of the workers says with a slight smile.
Comprehensive security measures have been put in place – because for an enemy that disregards moral norms, there are no limits to missile strikes. Two years ago a Russian missile strike hit a funeral procession for a fallen soldier in Kharkiv region – killing dozens of civilians.
The right to burial at the NMMC will be granted to those killed in action defending Ukraine, as well as, after the war, Heroes of Ukraine and recipients of high state orders. Reburials from other cemeteries will be allowed only in exceptional cases – for Heroes of Ukraine or the storing of urns with ashes.
“The procedure [for internment] is as follows: the family of the deceased applies to us with the full set of documents. They decide on the burial method—traditional or columbarium—and on the design of the headstone,” Kachor says.
Wooden grave markers are currently installed, which after a year will be replaced with permanent ones made of white natural stone.
“We took a different path. We studied the history of Ukrainian military burials that survived occupation forces of various empires, primarily Russian and Soviet, which either destroyed or neglected Ukrainian war graves. Because they, alien to the imperial policy of Russification, were meant simply to disappear – just like Ukrainians,” Dorolenko says.
The traditional grave marker will be modeled on the Cossack cross – a wide cross with flaring ends, reminiscent of those placed on the graves of Ukrainian Cossacks – armed free men, part of the military estate of the Cossack Hetmanate in the 17th–18th centuries. Many such crosses have survived in old Ukrainian cemeteries.
On the cross there will be a portrait of the fallen, their name and surname, and, if desired, their call sign.
On the reverse side – a stylized trident.
But the difference from American memorial cemeteries will not be only in the shape of the cross. There will be an alternative.
“We also allow the installation of rectangular headstones for those of individuals who profess another faith or no faith at all. Ukraine is a very diverse country. Among its defenders there are not only Christians, but also Jews, Muslims, and those who say they have no religion,” Dorolenko says.
He also added that there is also an ongoing discussion about whether to depict the deceased’s awards – orders and medals – on the reverse side of the cross or headstone.
Other elements
The NMMC is still in the early stages of development and main construction continues to include a drainage system for all sectors, an administrative building, a farewell hall, and a new crematorium.
The NMMC will include the first crematorium built in Ukraine for more than 30 years. Kachor says it will be modern and environmentally friendly, unlike those that exist in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Sevastopol although it is probable that most will include traditional burials.
In addition, a military museum will be established on the cemetery grounds.
“It will be primarily a museum giving information on the battles and wars in which those buried here fell, preserving and spreading memories of them first and foremost. Secondly, it will talk about the development and continuity of Ukrainian military history and military tradition,” Drobovych says.
Problems
The cemetery’s construction has not been without problems. As with any large project in the Kyiv region, where spare land is at a premium – developers, residents wanting a green zone, and the state with its own interests and priorities compete for it.
Discussions over the site of the future cemetery lasted several years, though according to Drobovych, there was no real alternative to the chosen location.
“From the very beginning this was the only free large plot. In Kyiv it is practically impossible to find the 200 hectares needed for mass burials. In the region this was the only site close to the capital – 15 minutes by car on a direct highway.”
Miscommunication led some to believe it would be sited in Bykivnia on the other bank of the Dnipro – but that was impossible because of another memorial reserve there and the small area available,” Drobovych says.
Residents of nearby villages protested against the NMMC, fearing the cemetery’s drainage system could fail and poison their wells – despite the existence of the nearby, equally large Southern Cemetery, and assurances that burials near the villages would not take place for decades.
Engineer Anton Hrazhdan says the key question is whether the drainage system, which must be maintained for years, will cope.
“The groundwater level in this area corresponds to the burial level. A drainage system has been installed to lower the water level and make burials possible. But the question is whether it will be cleaned over the years by the responsible services as it should,” the engineer notices.
Another fear is that proximity to the cemetery will scare away potential buyers of cottages and land plots.
Thus far protests have been peaceful – locals come daily to the cemetery, to talk and argue with its workers. The police guarding the site do not interfere, and visits to the cemetery are open. During our visit, activists from local villages also arrived, and Dorolenko spoke with them at length.
Cemetery staff admit that it will take time to get used to living next to such a large memorial, but say this is already the beginning of a new era of memory — one that will become part of Ukraine’s new historical tradition.