Ukrainian authorities say suspect accused of killing Russian critic Farion prepared for assassination for two months

An individual accused of the murder of Ukrainian public figure Iryna Farion, who has been detained by law enforcement, was preparing for the assassination for at least two months, said Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, according to Ukrinform. On the evening of 19 July, a hitman shot former Ukrainian deputy, professor, and linguist Iryna Farion. The incident took place in Lviv on Masaryk Street, near her residence. Witnesses reported that the killer fired one shot and quickly fled the scene. As a result of the assassination attempt, Farion sustained a gunshot wound to the head. She was hospitalized promptly in a local hospital, where doctors tried to save her life for several hours, but their attempts appeared unsuccessful. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and Head of the Lviv Regional State Administration Maksym Kozytskyi confirmed that Iryna Farion passed away at 11:20 PM. Sixty-year-old Iryna Farion was born and raised in Lviv and spent almost her entire life there. For nearly 30 years, she lectured at the Lviv Polytechnic National University. On 25 July, it became known that the suspected killer of Farion was detained in Dnipro. The hitman turned out to be an 18-year-old man. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, law enforcement is preparing a notice of suspicion for the detained individual. It has been established that the suspect rented at least three apartments in Lviv during the crime's preparation.

"Currently, under the procedural guidance of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office, the detainee is being prepared a notice of suspicion for intentional murder (Part 1, Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). A preventive measure for him is being decided," noted the Prosecutor General's office.

Earlier, the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said, "The enemy [Russians, – ed.] is seeking to use any tools to divide our nation," while commenting on the assassination of Farion.

Assassinated Ukrainian language warrior Farion mourned by thousands in Lviv

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