The murder of Ukrainian former MP Iryna Farion has shocked the Ukrainian political elite. The first versions of the investigation and the name of the suspect were announced at a briefing of the Interior Ministry on Friday. Meanwhile, one right-wing group has already claimed responsibility for the murder.
Ukrainian Interior Ministry briefing on the murder of Iryna Farion
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry jointly with the Prosecutor-General’s Office held a briefing in Lviv on July 26 on the detention of a suspect in the murder of former Verkhovna Rada MP Iryna Farion. At the briefing, the officials explained how they had reconstructed the chronology of the murder and also partially presented the evidence base of detainee Vyacheslav Zinchenko’s involvement in the crime.
Suspect in the murder of Farion 18-year-old young man arrived in Lviv on July 9, there through the service Booking he rented a flat, and on the 14th and 18th – two more, with balconies. The last one he used the day before the murder.
The things he was wearing at the time of the crime (glasses, panama, shorts and a false beard, which he never used) Zinchenko sent himself through the post office in Lviv. At different stages – during the reconnaissance, the crime and afterwards – he changed his clothes.
In advance, the suspect searched for information about Farion on the Internet, as well as about pro-Russian MPs in Ukraine.
On the day of the murder, 20 July, Farion was waiting for a taxi at the entrance of her house. At that time, the killer approached her from behind and shot her in the head from a distance of no more than two metres. The former MP later died in hospital.
The shooter fled from the scene of the crime, and two days later left for Dnipro by train. The law enforcers who identified him carried out the detention in the flat where his mother was.
Interest in far-right movement
Even before the briefing, Ukrainian media and the Ukrainian investigation reported the detention of suspect Vyacheslav Zinchenko, an 18-year-old resident of Dnipro. The suspect’s father is currently at the front. He told journalists that Vyacheslav had no motives to shoot Farion, he was a patriot and was preparing to serve in the AFU.
The media are actively spinning the topic of his interest in the right-wing radical Ukrainian groups C 14 and Right Sector.
In one of the messages, the detainee mentioned the Russian neo-Nazi group National-Socialism/White Power (NS/WP), claiming international ties, which claimed responsibility for Farion’s murder on July 24.
NS/WP’s Telegram channel published a video that likely shows the moment of Irina Farion’s murder and in which a woman’s screams can be heard. Comparing this excerpt with the crime scene, one can recognise significant terrain coincidences. Along with the video clip, the neo-Nazis released a “manifesto” explaining the motive for Farion’s liquidation.
Ukrainian media about anti-Semitism and right-wing ideas
Ukrainian media reported that Vyacheslav was interested in pro-Ukrainian nationalist groups. The detainee was subscribed to the neo-Nazi group NS/WP on social networks, where he made racist statements against Jews. It is also alleged that Vyacheslav left numerous anti-Semitic and racist comments in other far-right groups.
The detainee also claimed that “the top of the right-wing movement serves the Jews’ and they allowed the Jews to take power.” He also wrote: “Azov, Right Sector and now are fighting for the interests of Jews.” He also added:
The Jewish president directly states that we (Ukrainians) are fighting for some “European values” – a multicultural future under the auspices of the European Union.
According to Vyacheslav, the Ukrainian “Right” after Maidan betrayed their ideas and abandoned their ideology. He also said that the Rights should take matters into their own hands and continue to follow their ideas.
The murder of former MP Iryna Farion has shocked the Ukrainian public and appears to be a wake-up call as it shows the corrosion of the Ukrainian state organism and law enforcement structures. Such a brutal way of settling scores with each other is very dangerous thing and Ukrainian law enforcers need to take control of the situation.
