Iryna Farion's daughter on Zinchenko's trial: "This courtroom spectacle must end with a life sentence"
The trial in the murder case of linguist and activist Iryna Farion is nearing its final stage. The victim’s daughter, Sofia Osoba, stated that, in her opinion, the defense team for the accused, Vyacheslav Zinchenko, is deliberately dragging out the proceedings and attempting to divert attention from the evidence gathered by the investigation.
As a reminder, Iryna Farion was fatally wounded on July 19, 2024, in Lviv. According to eyewitnesses, a young man was waiting for her near her home; he was wearing gloves and carrying a pistol without a silencer. The assailant shot her in the head and fled the scene of the crime.
Law enforcement conducted a large-scale special operation and, within a few days, detained 18-year-old Vyacheslav Zinchenko in Dnipro. He is charged with premeditated murder motivated by ethnic intolerance, related to the performance of public duty, as well as illegal possession of a firearm. Under these charges, the defendant faces life imprisonment.
The trial has been ongoing since late 2024. During this time, the court has reviewed the investigative materials and heard testimony from witnesses and the parties to the proceedings. Zinchenko himself has repeatedly drawn attention to his behavior in court: he has gone on hunger strikes, declared his intention to commit suicide, complained of feeling unwell, and refused to testify.
Recently, the defendant changed lawyers. His new defense attorney is Larisa Kryvoruchko. After joining the case, she filed several motions, including a motion to recuse the court clerk and the panel of judges. The attorney also requested that the conditions of Zinchenko’s presence in the courtroom be changed and that she be given several months to review the case materials. The court partially granted the requests and adjourned the proceedings until May 20.
Iryna Farion’s daughter is convinced that such actions are part of a strategy to drag out the trial.
“The defendant has the right to have lawyers and to exercise the right to a defense. But the constant change of lawyers in the case regarding the murder of public figure, scholar, and professor Iryna Farion appears to be a delaying tactic,” noted Sofia Osoba.
She also sharply criticized the defense’s conduct and stated that no convincing evidence of the defendant’s innocence has yet been presented in the case.
“I believe this is an attempt to divert attention from the substance of the case and the evidence. The defendant’s lawyers will do everything to drag out the trial—it looks like a carefully thought-out strategy,” she said.
According to Sofia Osoba, Zinchenko’s behavior in court resembles an attempt to turn the case into a media spectacle.
“First there were claims of a hunger strike, then an attempt to hang himself, followed by fainting spells and a refusal to have lawyers. All of this resembles the very ‘court show’ that Zinchenko himself spoke of. But every show has an end, and for Zinchenko, that end is life imprisonment,” she emphasized.
Separately, Iryna Farion’s daughter commented on the situation when the lawyer spoke with Zinchenko in Russian during the court hearing. Sofia Osoba admitted that this was a particularly painful moment for her.
“This isn’t just the enemy’s language. It’s a language that wounds my soul. It was in this very language that the murderer cold-bloodedly shot my mother in the head,” she stated.
She also recalled that, according to her, the order to kill her husband—soldier Vasyl Osoba—was given in Russian.
During the interview, Sofia Osoba stated that she believes the crime against her mother was meticulously planned.
“I am convinced that this was not a spontaneous crime, but a meticulously planned murder. The perpetrator prepared, watched, and studied her routes and place of residence,” said the victim’s daughter.
In her opinion, the motive could have been Iryna Farion’s civic stance, her long-standing struggle for the Ukrainian language, national identity, and Ukrainian statehood.
Sofia Osoba also drew attention to a number of circumstances which, in her words, require an explanation from the defendant.
“Why was an ordinary guy from Dnipro on Masaryk Street in a residential neighborhood of Lviv? Why was he looking up power outage schedules specifically for Masaryk Street? Why did forensic analyses confirm that the man in the panama hat is Vyacheslav Zinchenko?” she noted.
According to the linguist’s daughter, Zinchenko avoids answering these questions and refuses to testify in court.
Separately, Sofia Osoba shared personal memories of her mother and described how the tragedy changed her life.
“This tragedy forced me to go public and honor Irina Farion’s memory with dignity. Did I want this? No. But today I understand that I must continue my mother’s fight and defend her name,” she said.
On April 29, Irina Farion’s birthday, the family honored her memory at the Garrison Church and at Lychakiv Cemetery. They also planted wild garlic and roses at the site of the murder.
“For me, this is a symbol of life, which is stronger than death. It is a symbol of memory that continues to live and grow even through the greatest pain,” explained Sofia Osoba.
At the end of the conversation, Iryna Farion’s daughter admitted that she most often recalls her daily conversations with her mother and her support.
“For me, Mom is a world of protection and love. That’s why my Iryna, as I always called her, is still by my side. She gives me strength and is my angel,” she said.
The defense attorney for Vyacheslav Zinchenko, the suspect in the murder of Iryna Farion, attempted to build a defense strategy by drawing attention to the victim’s political past. This approach sparked public outcry and a new wave of debate surrounding the case.
Earlier, the defense team for the man accused of Faryon’s murder was denied a motion to recuse the panel of judges.
The court in the Faryon case questioned a witness and examined Zinchenko’s phone
In Lviv, the court continuedhearing the case regarding the murder of Farion.
Earlier, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Lviv extended the pretrial detention of Zinchenko, who is accused of the murder of Iryna Farion, until March 9, 2026.
