In Lviv, Iryna Farion, a former parliamentarian, was shot. Doctors are fighting for her life, they are looking for the attacker

In Lviv on July 19 at around 7:30 p.m., a former Peopleʼs Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, linguist Iryna Farion was shot.

This information was confirmed to "Babel" by law enforcement agencies, but no details were provided. The local publication ZAXID.NET and deputy of the Lviv City Council Ihor Zinkevich reported that Farion was hospitalized and she is in critical condition in the hospital.

Subsequently, the National Police, without naming names, wrote that law enforcement officers are establishing the circumstances of the attempt on the life of a "public figure." She was hit in the head. The shooter has not yet been arrested, the city has announced an "Interception" plan. The prosecutorʼs office is investigating attempted murder (Part 2 of Article 15, Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code).

Update at 9:00 p.m

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in Telegram that the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk report to him on the search for the attacker of Farion.

"All the necessary forces of the National Police of Ukraine and the SBU are deployed to establish the circumstances of this crime. Doctors are fighting for Iryna Farionʼs life," he said and emphasized that the perpetrator of the attack must bear full responsibility.

• Iryna Farion was born on April 29, 1964 in Lviv. She is a linguist, a professor at Lviv Polytechnic National University, a member of the Polytrade of Svoboda Higher Education Institution, a Peopleʼs Deputy of Ukraine of the 7th convocation (2012-2014), and was twice a deputy of the Lviv Regional Council from Svoboda Higher Education Institution.
• Farion repeatedly got into scandals. In early November 2023, a conversation with Iryna Farion appeared on the channel of journalist Yanina Sokolova, in which she criticized the Russian-speaking fighters of "Azov" and the 3rd Assault Brigade. She said that she could not consider them Ukrainians and advised them to "call themselves Russian" because they speak Russian in public. Because of this, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets appealed to the police, the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Council on Television, so that the law enforcement officers would check it.
• Already on November 8, Farion published a letter in her Telegram from a student from occupied Crimea with his personal data. The cap bore the name of a student who supported Farionʼs stance on language. In the comments, Farion was asked to take away the boyʼs data so as not to expose him to danger. The ex-deputy wrote in response that she does not need unsolicited advice. On November 13, Russian Z-publics shared a video where the FSB allegedly detains this student. He apologized on camera and admitted his "guilt".
• On November 14, students of Lviv Polytechnic staged a protest and demanded the dismissal of ex-deputy Iryna Farion from the university. The rectorate of Lviv Polytechnic stated that the university has already created a working group — so far there is "no reason" to remove it from its position.
• On November 15, 2023 , the Security Service of Ukraine initiated a case against Farion on four counts: violation of the equality of citizens; an insult to the honor and dignity of a serviceman; violation of the confidentiality of correspondence and violation of the inviolability of private life.
• On the same day, Minister of Education Oksen Lisovyi announced that Farion was fired from Lviv Polytechnic, but the court reinstated her on May 29, 2024.