President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a Constitution Day address at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and announced new symbolic decisions for Ukrainian statehood. In particular, he said he had submitted a bill on the Ukrainian National Pantheon to parliament and announced the creation of a new state award — the Order of Europe.
Zelenskyy recalled that on June 28 Ukraine marks 30 years since the adoption of its Constitution. According to him, the Basic Law enshrined Ukraine’s right to be itself — sovereign, indivisible and independent.
“Any articles of the Constitution would be only letters on paper without millions of Ukrainians who are ready to defend our independence, their land, their rights and freedoms, and to do so in unity,” the president said.
A separate part of Zelenskyy’s speech was devoted to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which, according to him, withstood a Russian strike on the night of June 15 thanks to the coordinated efforts of rescuers, clergy, reserve staff and concerned citizens.
The president said Russia had already damaged or destroyed 740 religious sites in Ukraine — churches, mosques and synagogues.
“This is who we are fighting. This is what our enemy is,” Zelenskyy said.
According to the president, he has submitted a bill on the Ukrainian National Pantheon to the Verkhovna Rada. It is intended to honor the names of heroes who fought for Ukraine and inspired it across different eras.
Zelenskyy also announced that a bust of Hetman Ivan Mazepa would be installed at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The president stressed that Russia had tried for centuries to smear Mazepa’s name and force Ukrainians to view their own history “through someone else’s eyes.”
“That is a lie, and that lie has lost. Forever,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that Mazepa deserves a full-fledged monument in the capital. In the president’s view, the ideal place for it is Shevchenko Boulevard — where the monument to Lenin was dismantled during the Revolution of Dignity in December 2013.
“Where Lenin fell, Mazepa will stand firmly,” Zelenskyy said.
The president also said he had signed a decree on preparations for the millennium of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. In August, on the Feast of the Dormition, the Lavra will mark 975 years since its founding, and in 25 years Ukraine will celebrate its millennium.
According to Zelenskyy, the preparations will include the restoration and preservation of cultural monuments, museum collections and Lavra buildings as one of the world’s centers of Christianity.
Another announced decision is the introduction of a new state award — the Order of Europe. Ukraine will use it to honor people from other countries who help Ukrainians and stand alongside them in the fight for common European security.
“Ukraine absolutely deserves to have an order with this very name. It has earned it through its around-the-clock struggle for the life of Europe,” the president said.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine has already begun negotiations on future EU membership, and that every such step brings Ukraine and the European Union closer together.
In the final part of his address, the president said Ukrainians are united in what matters most — the desire for peace, freedom and the right to determine their own future.
“Ukraine wants peace. Ukraine wants to live its own life on its own land and be free to determine its future,” Zelenskyy stressed.
The president congratulated Ukrainians on Constitution Day and thanked everyone who protects people and Ukraine’s national interests.
