Russia Prominent politician killed by gunshot in western Ukraine
Iryna Farion, a right-wing nationalist former member of parliament known for her anti-Russian statements, has been shot in the head in western Ukraine. The 60-year-old succumbed to her injuries in hospital in Lviv (Lemberg). Police and intelligence officers are searching for the perpetrator, said Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Farion had mainly fought against the Russian language, which is widespread in Ukraine, with radical statements. Her right-wing nationalist party Svoboda therefore suspects a Russian trail in the murder case.
20.07.2024, 10:11
SDA
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack on Farion and instructed Interior Minister Klymenko and the head of the secret service, Vasyl Malyuk, to investigate the crime. Those responsible must be held accountable, said the head of state. Farion was critically injured by a shot to the temple outside her home on Friday evening. In hospital, doctors fought for her life without success.
Possible Russian trail and satisfaction in Moscow
Interior Minister Klymenko sees a connection between the murder and Farion's social activities. "The basic versions that are currently being considered are personal hostility, social and political activities of Ms. Farion. We do not rule out the possibility that it was a contract killing," the minister wrote on Telegram. He also did not rule out a Russian lead.
Farion was also in trouble with the Ukrainian judiciary for statements directed against the Russian-speaking population. Following protests by students, for example, she temporarily lost her job at the university where the philologist taught Ukrainian. Among other things, the professor had sharply criticized the fact that many Ukrainian soldiers at the front continued to speak their native language, Russian. According to her own statements, she also bought drones herself to fight against the Russian war of aggression.
Farion was often criticized for having divided Ukrainian society. Russian state propaganda, however, greeted the news of the politician's death with satisfaction. "Iryna Farion, who dreamed of the "complete elimination" of the Russian-speaking population, has been eliminated. God will sort things out there without us," wrote Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Russian state television channel RT.
