Ukraine's National Police on suspect in professor Iryna Farion's murder: "He loves Ukraine and thinks he did the right thing"

Olha Hlushchenko — Saturday, 27 July 2024, 01:54

Andrii Niebytov, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine. Photo: Ukrainska Pravda

Andrii Niebytov, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine, has shared his thoughts on Viacheslav Zinchenko, a suspect in the murder of linguist and former MP Iryna Farion, after talking to him.

Source: Andrii Niebytov, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine, on Radio Svoboda (Radio Liberty)

Details: Niebytov confirmed that the weapon used in Farion’s murder has not yet been found and said that "the crime was planned over many days".

Quote from Niebytov: "Of course, the suspect, who planned all of this, bought clothes and was monitoring every escape route [...] He was planning to hide the weapon. [...]

I’ll put it this way: this person hasn’t come up with this idea by himself. You know that he was a member of certain groups that unfortunately weren’t pro-Ukrainian."

Details: Still, Niebytov said in response to a journalist’s questions that the suspect in Farion’s murder was a "totally pro-Ukrainian person" who "respects Ukraine".

Quote from Niebytov: "There’s a person, a totally pro-Ukrainian person. I have personally spoken with him. He respects Ukraine. His father is fighting in a brigade.

He loves Ukraine and thinks he did the right thing. He thinks Ukrainian society should not be divided. He had his own motives. [...]

He chose a target [...] someone who would be very vulnerable. [...]

He wouldn’t have stopped if law enforcement didn’t stop and arrest him."

Background:

On 26 July, representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the police, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and the Security Service of Ukraine held a joint briefing in Lviv regarding the investigation into Iryna Farion's murder.
The investigation suggests that Farion was shot with a modified pistol from a distance of 1.5-2 metres; a sports cartridge case was discovered at the scene.
Law enforcement agencies are investigating the suspect’s ties to a neo-Nazi movement, and the investigation has not ruled out a personal grudge. Maksym Buzhansky, an MP from the Servant of the People party, was also listed as a potential victim by the suspect.
According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, the 18-year-old suspect is a resident of Dnipro. He rented at least three apartments in Lviv while preparing for Farion’s assassination. Investigators currently believe that the shooter was only a hitman.
On 26 July, the court arrested 18-year-old Viacheslav Zinchenko without bail.
After the court has chosen a preventive measure for him, Viacheslav Zinchenko, a suspect in the murder of linguist and former MP Iryna Farion, told reporters that he did not kill Farion, and that he has a negative attitude towards Kremlin head Vladimir Putin.