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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
On the eve of the 35-th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, members of the Volodymyr Verkhovna Rada of the I convocation will begin to be granted a new honorary status — “Founder of the Modern State of Ukraine.” According to the Association of People’s Deputies of Ukraine, about 150-160 former lawmakers may be eligible, and roughly 240 more may be nominated posthumously for the award. This is stated in a material by “Glavkom.”
On Sunday, 23 August, a ceremonial meeting of the Verkhovna Rada is to take place, to which members of the I convocation who worked in parliament in the 1990-1994 years are invited. Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk will present to the selected politicians an certificate and a lapel badge “Founder of the Modern State of Ukraine.” The exact number of those who will receive the status during the ceremony is not being disclosed at the moment.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory names a somewhat different figure. Acting head of the institution Yuliia Hnatiuk, in response to Glavkom’s request, said that the status of Founder of the Modern State of Ukraine may be conferred on 170 former deputies.
The new status is provided for by the Law “On the Status of the Founder of the Modern State of Ukraine — a Member of Parliament.” It may be conferred on deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR who 16 in July 1990 of the year voted for the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine and/or 24 in August 1991 of the year supported the Act of Proclamation of Independence or a resolution declaring Ukraine’s independence.
At the same time, participation in those historic votes alone is not enough. The law provides restrictions for former deputies who acted against independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine or created a threat to national security.
According to the vice president of the Association of People’s Deputies of Ukraine, Volodymyr Kryzhanivskyi, there exists a separate group of approximately 20-30 former lawmakers who should not receive the new status. Some of them are currently in Russia or on occupied territories and do not recognize an independent Ukraine.
The Security Service of Ukraine may participate in the vetting of candidates. In particular, law enforcement can check information on convictions for crimes against the foundations of national security, peace and international order, as well as for terrorism and financing of terrorist activities.
The law on the new status has a long history. The corresponding bill was first submitted by Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk at the end of 2021 year. After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, its consideration essentially stalled. The document was returned to Parliament in 2025 year, and in 3 December the Verkhovna Rada supported the law 273 by votes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law 9 in March 2026 of the year. Before that, the document remained unsigned for about three months. According to the president of the Association of People’s Deputies of Ukraine, Serhiy Taruta, one reason was a provision granting holders of the new status diplomatic passports for official foreign trips.
In addition to the honorary status, the law provides a material component. The Founder of the Modern State of Ukraine, at their own choice, instead of a pension, will be able to receive a monthly lifelong monetary allowance amounting to 80% of the salary of a current member of the parliament’s committee.
With the current level of deputy salary, this amounts to 53 248 hryvnias per month. However, the mechanism for financing such payments has not yet been finalized: after the previous government resigned, a government bill that would determine the procedure for such payments was withdrawn from consideration.
Recall that a total of 476 members of the I convocation passed through the Verkhovna Rada. It was this composition of the parliament that approved the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine, and 24 August 1991 year proclaimed Ukraine’s independence.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Батьки Незалежності. «Главком» дізнався, скільки нардепів I скликання отримають почесний статус". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ZmiOne.
