Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted a bill to parliament to create a national pantheon to honor the country's heroes.
Zelensky said on Sunday in a speech marking Constitution Day: "I have today submitted to parliament a law on the Ukrainian National Pantheon."
He added: "The names of all the heroes who fought for Ukraine and inspired Ukraine, across different centuries and eras, will be gathered together and immortalized in our history forever."
For his part, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the presidential office for Zelensky, said: "No one will dictate to Ukrainians which heroes they should honor, or which holidays they should celebrate, or which history they should learn."
Budanov added: "Our ancestors fought for centuries for this right to freely determine their destiny and national independence, and this is exactly what our soldiers are shedding blood for today."
The reference to self-determination was also seen as a direct criticism of neighboring Poland, whose president, Karol Nawrocki, canceled a high-level honor that had been awarded to Zelensky amid a historical dispute.
The memorial site is set to be built in Kyiv.