The national conservative politician Iryna Farion became known in her homeland for her fight for the Ukrainian language. She was also the subject of scandals. Now she has died after an assassination attempt.
In western Ukraine, the right-wing nationalist former MP Iryna Farion, who was known for her anti-Russian statements, was shot in the head. The 60-year-old died of her injuries in hospital in Lviv. The police and secret service agents are searching for the perpetrator, said Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Farion had mainly used radical statements to combat the Russian language, which is widespread in Ukraine. Her right-wing nationalist party Svoboda therefore suspects a Russian lead in the murder case.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack on Farion and instructed Interior Minister Klymenko and intelligence chief 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 in front of her home on Friday evening. Doctors fought unsuccessfully to save her life in the hospital.
Possible Russian trace 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 that this is a contract killing,” the minister wrote on Telegram. He also did not rule out a Russian lead.
Farion also had trouble with the Ukrainian judiciary because of statements directed against the Russian-speaking population. For example, after protests by students, 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 on the front line continued to speak their native language, Russian. She says she even bought drones herself to fight against the Russian war of aggression.
Farion was often criticized for having divided Ukrainian society. Russian state propaganda, however, welcomed the news of the politician’s death. “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.
Source: Stern
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