Ukrainian authorities are now releasing a picture and description of the man in his 20s who is suspected of having shot dead the Ukrainian nationalist member of parliament Iryna Farion in the open street.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that all possible leads are being investigated, “including those leading to Russia.”
Former Member of Parliament Iryna Farion, 60, was brutally murdered on Friday night in Lviv in western Ukraine. She was shot in the head outside her home and later died in hospital.
Now Ukrainian authorities in the messaging service Telegram are releasing photos and videos of the suspected perpetrator, who has not yet been arrested. They hope to get tips from the public.
The man is in his 20s and at the time of the murder was wearing black trousers, a black sun hat, a red football shirt and red gloves. He must have a slim build and be between 170 and 180 centimeters tall.
The suspected killer is in his 20s.
The suspected killer is in his 20s.
Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine/Telegram
Zelenskyi: Tracks to Russia are being investigated
Neighbors have stated that a man who fits the description for around two weeks before the murder sat on a bench near Iryna Farion’s residence daily, reports the independent news site Meduza.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Saturday that he had been informed of the killing and that all possible leads were being investigated, “including those leading to Russia”.
Criticized Russian speakers
Iryna Farion was for a short time a member of parliament for the ultra-nationalist party Svoboda (Freedom in Swedish). She attracted attention when she criticized Ukrainian soldiers who spoke Russian.
Farion was one of the most vocal defenders of the Ukrainian language. After her controversial statements about Ukrainian soldiers, she lost her position as a professor at the University of Lviv, but was reinstated after a court order.