Life sentence for the murder of Iryna Farion: court announced verdict for Zinchenko
The court found the guilt proven; the defendant himself did not admit it
1 October 2026 Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Lviv sentenced 20-year-old Vyacheslav Zinchenko to life imprisonment in the case of the murder of linguist Iryna Farion. The judge announced that his guilt was proven in full. The decision is reported by RBC‑Ukraine, citing the broadcast of the hearing on Suspilne.
The charges concerned intentional homicide motivated by national intolerance and illegal handling of a weapon. Zinchenko himself denied guilt.
Entries about the crime and a rally outside the court
During the hearing, the defendant’s personal writings were read aloud. According to the investigation, they contained a plan of the crime and a subsequent escape. In Zinchenko‘s diary there was, in particular, the following entry:
“While others protest and quietly go home, I silently sharpened the knife to do what millions have dreamed of. I consider myself a purifier of society, even though I acted out of personal animosity. I made my choice and will go to the end, otherwise I will lose respect for myself.”
Meanwhile, a rally demanding a life sentence was taking place outside the court building. Participants began gathering before the hearing. They shouted:
“Zinchenko — life sentence”, “Glory to Farion“.
On the cardboard signs that protesters held were the inscriptions:
“Zinchenko — life” and “Life sentence — for the killer”.
How the case reached the verdict
The trial began in January 2025. During this time the court examined 30 volumes of materials and held more than 80 hearings. Lawyers changed over the course of the process, motions to recuse judges were filed, and defense attorneys did not always appear in court.
On 24 April prosecutors asked the court to sentence the defendant to life imprisonment. This punishment was also supported by the victim’s daughter, Sofiia Osoba. She explained her position:
“This will not bring my mother back, but it will be a just decision.”
Debates ended on 17 September. Zinchenko refused to exercise his right to make a final statement, after which the judges retired to the deliberation room.
Back in August 2025 the defendant stated in court that his words to a cellmate about the murder were said under pressure. In the read-out record of that conversation he effectively confessed to the crime and spoke of personal animosity.
Attack on Farion and the arrest of Zinchenko
On the evening of 19 July 2024 Iryna Farion was shot in Lviv. Late that evening she died in hospital. The police initially investigated the attack as an attempted murder, and after the linguist’s death reclassified the case as intentional homicide.
The farewell for the deceased took place on 23 July. Two days later, on 25 July, Vyacheslav Zinchenko was detained in Dnipro.
Iryna Farion was a linguist, a Doctor of Philological Sciences and a professor. In 2012–2014 she represented All‑Ukrainian Union “Svoboda” (VO “Svoboda”) in the Verkhovna Rada as a people’s deputy.
In the context of this case a source also cites the position of the SBU after the killing of the former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Andriy Parubiy: the service stated that it had no information about a link between that crime and the murder of Farion. Among the theories about Parubiy’s killing, possible Russian involvement was considered.
Earlier we wrote:
- “My son had no motive to shoot Farion, and he was not a Ukrainophobe” — father of the detained
- Having his photo, it was only a matter of time: details of the arrest of Iryna Farion’s killer
- Sensation! The suspect in the murder of Iryna Farion was arrested — he is only 18!
- They couldn’t save her: after the assassination attempt, Iryna Farion died in hospital
- Bloody attack in Lviv: Iryna Farion was shot in the head in broad daylight
