A former nationalist deputy of the Ukrainian Parliamentknown for her heated campaigns in defense of the Ukrainian language, She died last night in hospital after being the victim of an attack yesterday in Lviv: the mayor of the city, Andriy Sadovy, announced it on Telegram. “Iryna Farion died in the hospital. Doctors did everything they could…
It is very scary and terrible. I always say that there is no safe place in Ukraine anymore. It was a bold and brazen murder, the killer must be found!”, the mayor wrote. A large-scale manhunt is underway to capture the killer, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that any act of violence must be condemned.
Farion, a linguist, was elected to parliament in 2012 with the nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party, but failed to retain her seat in the next election. The former lawmaker later became known for her frequent campaigns to promote the Ukrainian language and discredit Russian-speaking civil servants. In 2018, as Ukraine battled Russian-funded separatists who had seized territory in the country’s east, Farion called to “punch every Russian-speaking person in the jaw.”
Investigators investigating the murder of former Ukrainian nationalist MP Iryna Farion are also investigating a possible lead to Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “This morning, new information arrived from the Minister of Internal Affairs, Igor Klymenko, and the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, on the investigation into the murder of Irina Farion,” the message reads. “All available surveillance cameras are being checked, witnesses are being questioned, and the territory of several districts is being examined. All versions are being investigated, including the one leading to Russia.”
“All necessary forces of the National Police of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine have been deployed to find the culprit. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Deputy Prosecutors General and the heads of the National Police of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine are on site in Lviv,” Zelensky concluded. “I am grateful to everyone who is helping the investigation. My condolences to the family and friends of Iryna Farion.”