Former Rada deputy Iryna Farion was killed in Lviv

Former Ukrainian People’s Deputy from the “Svoboda” party, Iryna Farion, who was shot in the temple on a street in Lviv today, has died in the hospital.

This was reported by the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi.

With a gunshot wound to the head, the patient was admitted to the hospital in critical condition, according to Natalia Matolinets, head of the anesthesiology service of the First Medical Association of Lviv. She reported that the patient underwent an initial surgical treatment of the head and was on artificial lung ventilation in the operating room. Farion was in a deep coma.

Following the operation, she was transferred to the intensive care unit, but her heart eventually stopped.

The attempted murder of Farion was reclassified as a premeditated murder following her death. The Ministry of Internal Affairs noted that this falls under part 1 of article 115 (premeditated murder) of the Criminal Code, which provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

“Law enforcement officers are taking all necessary measures to identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” the ministry added.

Throughout her career, Iryna Farion was involved in several controversies due to her statements, the most recent being in November 2023. At that time, Farion stated in a television interview that she did not consider Ukrainian servicemen who speak Russian to be Ukrainians. This statement led to widespread criticism, including from military personnel. Farion also published a letter from a student in Crimea, Maksym Hlebov, who supported her position, and revealed his personal information. As a result, Russian police detained Hlebov. The Security Service of Ukraine initiated a criminal case against Farion, and the Lviv Polytechnic University dismissed her from her position as a professor. However, she was reinstated by a court decision in May 2024.