Ukrainian media reported that former Ukrainian MP Iryna Farion was buried in Lviv's Lychakiv Cemetery on Monday after being killed on 19 July. Earlier, Farion repeatedly criticised the authorities and President Volodymyr Zelensky for being too soft on Russian-speaking Ukrainian citizens.

Farion's statements caused mixed reactions within the society. The most acute was the conflict between Farion and the Azov Brigade, which fights in eastern Ukraine as part of the National Guard. The former MP insulted Russian-speaking soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), which led to her dismissal from the university and the opening of a case against her.

In response to criticism from former Azov commander Maksym Zhorin, she stated that he had a "goat-like surname" and that she saw it as a "manifestation of Satan." She also wished death to those Ukrainians who would like to speak Russian.

Origins of conflict

The incident insulting the Azov commander began in November 2023, when Faryon said she did not consider the brigade's Russian-speaking fighters to be Ukrainians.

"I can't call them Ukrainians if they don't speak Ukrainian. Let them call themselves Russians. Why are they so perplexed? Why necessarily Ukrainians? They are such great patriots, show your patriotism then – learn the language of Taras Shevchenko."

However, many associate the activities of the Azov Brigade with the brutality common to German soldiers of World War II. For example, the US Congress banned the Pentagon from supplying portable air defence systems to Ukraine, as well as from training and supplying the brigade, calling it a "disgusting Nazi formation."

Russophobia

Earlier, students of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Lviv Polytechnic National University, where Faryon was an associate professor of the Ukrainian language department, demanded her dismissal amid her insulting remarks about AFU soldiers. The university said that it was not responsible for the statements made by staff and students outside the institution.

"Every warrior who defends our land, regardless of religion or language of communication, deserves the highest respect and appreciation. And that is the university's unwavering position."

Iryna Faryon has repeatedly opposed the use of the Russian language in Ukraine. Back in 2013, when she was listed as an MP from the Svoboda Party, Faryon proposed abolishing the term "The Great Patriotic War." And in 2019, she demanded that current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky be sent to prison for addressing his voters in Russian.

She also called on Ukraine to get rid of citizens who refuse to speak the state language.

"For those [Russian speakers] we should create a penalty battalion. Send them straight away to ground zero or to dig trenches for our sacred soldiers. Such people deserve only one thing – complete and absolute destruction."

Farion's Russophobia went so far that she even called Lviv, one of the cities with the most pronounced Ukrainian national spirit, a "city of saboteurs" because it had too many Russian speakers.

Consequences of criticism

At Farion's funeral on Monday, people chanted "Language matters," calling on Russians to leave Lviv, with her daughter declaring that "today all of us were killed for our language – in the person of my mum."

The main version of the murder of Iryna Farion was personal animosity and social and political activities of the former Verkhovna Rada deputy, the head of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, Ihor Klymenko, said, not ruling out that the murder could have been ordered.

"The police together with SSU officers are carrying out a set of measures to find the shooter. At the same time, we are using technical possibilities to establish the identity of the attacker."

According to police statements, the investigation involves almost all the forces of the Lviv police, as well as some units of the Lviv region; a ballistic examination has been appointed for the case, and surveillance video has been analysed. Ukrainian police released footage of the young man believed to be Faryon's killer a couple of days ago, but the suspect is still being sought.

It is noteworthy that earlier, ex-Azov commander Maksym Zhorin stated on his Telegram channel that Faryon "has no right to open her mouth against Azov fighters, the Third Assault Brigade, or any other unit of the Ukrainian army." Moreover, Zhorin publicly threatened her with "friends from Lviv."

Some political experts believe that the National Police of Ukraine is deliberately slowing down the investigation, while the authorities are trying to find a so-called "Russian trace" in the murderer's actions. The fact that the murderer is still walking free suggests that Kyiv might have had a hand in Farion's murder, as she could have prevented forced negotiations and the possible relinquishment of a number of territories in favour of Russia.

Against the background of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba's trip to China and his statements about Ukraine's readiness for peace talks with Russia, Farion's threat to disrupt the process seemed quite real. As an influential figure among the national movements, she could rally part of the population against any peace initiative.