Police deny providing additional security to Farion murder suspect

Viacheslav Zinchenko, the suspect in the murder of nationalist former lawmaker Iryna Farion, was not provided with additional security, and the issue concerns only enhanced security measures while he is in custody.

Ukraine's National Police spokesperson Olena Berezhna stated this in a comment to Ukrinform, commenting on reports in the media about additional security allegedly provided to the suspect.

"This is not about additional security provided to the suspect. The defendant is in custody, as determined by the court. At the same time, given a high-profile case and high public interest, the court also decided to provide the detainee with enhanced security during his stay in custody," she explained.

Earlier media reports said that former MP Iryna Farion's murder suspect Viacheslav Zinchenko had allegedly been placed under guard in a pre-trial detention center after the daughter of the deceased made threats against him.

During a court session in Lviv, Farion's daughter Sofia Semchyshyn wished Zinchenko to "die in prison" and said that she would do anything for that.

Zinchenko's lawyer, Ihor Sulyma, said that his client was allegedly provided with security after the threats.

Late on July 19 in Lviv, an unidentified individual shot Iryna Farion. She died shortly after in the hospital.

On July 25, the alleged suspect was detained in Dnipro.

On July 26, 2024, the Halytskyi District Court of Lviv ruled to take Viacheslav Zinchenko, an 18-year-old resident of Dnipro who is suspected of killing Farion, into custody for two months, with no right to put up bail.