Konovalets Returned to Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed participants in a ceremony marking the reburial of Colonel Yevhen Konovalets, describing the return of the Ukrainian military leader and statesman as an act of historical justice. The address was published on the official website of the President of Ukraine on Aug. 18, 2026.

Zelenskyy praised Konovalets as an organizer of Ukraine’s military and a prominent figure in the country’s struggle for independence. He said Konovalets’s life represented the “heroic and tragic” history of Ukraine’s liberation efforts and emphasized the importance of a strong army and an independent state.

The president linked the ceremony to Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia, saying the country would continue defending its sovereignty and pursuing a lasting peace. He also said Ukraine had learned from past failures, including political divisions and inadequate international ties.

Zelenskyy thanked Ukrainian veterans’ and community organizations in Canada, along with historians, diplomats and officials involved in preserving Konovalets’s memory and arranging his return. He said Ukraine would continue efforts to bring home the remains of other national figures buried abroad.