Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed erecting a monument to Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa on the site where a statue of Vladimir Lenin was toppled during the EuroMaidan Revolution in Kyiv, announcing the proposal during Constitution Day commemorations, kyivindependent reported. Zelensky described the monument proposal as a step toward restoring "historical justice" and said, "I am certain that where Lenin fell, Mazepa will stand firm," kyivindependent.com reported.

Mazepa is regarded in Ukraine as one of the country's most prominent historical leaders. He led the Cossacks in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, initially allied with Russian Tsar Peter I before siding with Sweden during the Great Northern War in an effort to free the Cossack Hetmanate from Russian rule, kyivindependent.com reported.

Mikhail Sheremet, speaking to TASS, said Zelensky's actions to erect a monument to Mazepa in Kyiv fully fit into his collaborationist logic, called Mazepa a traitor, and said Ukraine forms a "cult of betrayal," TASS reported.