The court extended the preventive measure for Vyacheslav Zinchenko, the suspect in the murder of Iryna Farion — he will be held in custody for another 60 days.
This was reported by the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office.
The defendant will be behind bars until March 4, 2025, inclusive, without the right to bail. Zinchenkoʼs defense requested that the preventive measure be changed to 24-hour house arrest.
The hearing took place in the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Lviv. Iryna Farionʼs daughter Sofia Semchyshyn and Vyacheslav Zinchenkoʼs mother were present in the courtroom on January 3.
At the end of December 2024, the case was reclassified — now Zinchenko is suspected of the premeditated murder of Farion for reasons of national intolerance due to her performance of her public duty and of illegal handling of weapons. This carries a life sentence.
The investigation established that Vyacheslav Zinchenko ambushed Iryna Farion on the evening of July 19, 2024, in the courtyard of her house in Lviv, shot her in the head with a pistol and fled. He was detained in Dnipro at his place of residence.
What is known about Zinchenko?
Law enforcement officers found out that the 18-year-old suspect joined a group on a messenger in 2022 that spread ideas of violence, cruelty, and also promoted racial, national, and religious intolerance and discrimination. In 2024, he became a member of another group associated with a Russian neo-Nazi organization.
According to the investigation, while in these groups, the suspect allegedly developed a personal animosity towards Iryna Farion because of her active position in protecting the Ukrainian language and culture. Zinchenko is suspected of having developed the intention to commit murder because he believed that Farion was dividing national unity.
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