National Police completes verification of version about masterminds of Farion's murder

After two years of investigating the murder of linguist and public figure Iryna Farion, law enforcement officers were unable to identify any masterminds, accomplices, or other individuals who might have been involved in the crime along with convicted Viacheslav Zinchenko.

Deputy Head of the National Police Andriy Nebytov said this on October 2 during a live broadcast of the “United News” telethon, on air.

According to him, the possible involvement of other people was separately checked by the National Police, the prosecutor's office, and the Security Service of Ukraine throughout the investigation.

“The National Police, the prosecutor's office, and the Security Service of Ukraine have been working in this direction for the past two years, for as long as the investigation has lasted. At this point, no masterminds or accomplices have been identified,” Nebytov said.

The Deputy Head of the National Police stressed that this is exactly the result of the conducted investigation. Law enforcement officers did not obtain evidence that would allow them to identify specific organizers or accomplices to the murder.

According to Nebytov, the court concluded that Zinchenko acted alone, guided by his own beliefs, including a hostile attitude toward Farion's public activities.

The investigation was one of the largest in recent years. According to the National Police, law enforcement officers conducted 92 expert examinations, questioned more than 1.5 thousand people, and processed dozens of gigabytes of information from hundreds of surveillance cameras.

Iryna Farion was shot dead on July 19, 2024 near her home in Lviv. She sustained a gunshot wound to the head and died in the hospital. Six days later, on July 25, law enforcement officers detained Viacheslav Zinchenko in Dnipro.

The investigation established that the accused had arrived in Lviv in advance and stayed near Farion's home for several days. During the investigation, law enforcement officers studied surveillance camera footage, mobile device data, results of genetic and portrait examinations, as well as information about the preparation for the crime.

One of the theories at the initial stage was possible involvement of Russian special services or other individuals who might have organized the murder. However, the investigation obtained no evidence that would have confirmed this theory and allowed charges to be brought against possible organizers.

On October 1, 2026, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Lviv found Zinchenko guilty of the premeditated murder of Farion and illegal handling of weapons, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The court also partially satisfied the civil claim of the victim's daughter, Sofia Osoba, and ordered the convict to pay 5 million UAH in moral damages.

Zinchenko himself pleaded not guilty and did not publicly present his version of events. The defense announced its intention to appeal the verdict.

Thus, after the verdict, the law enforcement's theory of the case remains as follows: the court proved Zinchenko's direct responsibility, while the investigation found no confirmed data on masterminds or accomplices to the crime.