Nationalist former Ukrainian parliament member Iryna Farion was shot and killed in Lviv on Friday, leading to a wide search for the gunman. The 60-year-old linguist was known for her campaigns to defend the Ukrainian language and promote nationalism.
Police and the SBU security service are working to track down the assailant, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemning the act of violence. Farion had been a member of the Svoboda party and served on the Lviv regional council. She gained prominence for her efforts to promote the Ukrainian language and discredit officials who spoke Russian.
Farion’s outspoken views included calls to “punch every Russian-speaking person in the jaw” during the conflict with Russian-backed separatists in 2018, as well as denouncing Russian-speaking fighters in Mariupol after the Russian invasion in 2022.
While Ukrainian is the sole state language, Russian is still widely spoken in Ukraine due to Soviet rule. Parliament has passed laws to promote Ukrainian in public life, making language promotion a contentious issue.
The investigation into Farion’s killing is ongoing, with investigators considering both political motives and personal grievances. The tragic incident has sparked national attention and condemnation, highlighting the importance of language and identity in Ukraine’s ongoing struggle for independence.
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