Suara Malaysia
ADVERTISEMENTFly London from Kuala LumpurFly London from Kuala Lumpur
Sunday, November 10, 2024
More
    ADVERTISEMENTFly London from Kuala LumpurFly London from Kuala Lumpur
    HomeNewsHeadlinesGunman wounds nationalist former parliamentarian in Ukraine's Lviv

    Gunman wounds nationalist former parliamentarian in Ukraine's Lviv

    -

    Fly AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur

    (Reuters) – A gunman on Friday shot and seriously wounded a nationalist former member of Ukraine’s parliament known for vociferous campaigns to defend the Ukrainian language.

    Police launched a wide search for the man alleged to have shot Iryna Farion, 60, on a street in the western city of Lviv.

    “The attack on Iryna Farion has been classified as an attempted murder,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram. “The victim is in critical condition and doctors are fighting to save her life.”

    President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was receiving regular reports on efforts to capture the gunman. He said any act of violence was to be condemned.

    Farion, a linguist, became a member of the nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party in 2005 and was elected to parliament in 2012, but failed in subsequent attempts to win a seat. She has also served on Lviv regional council.

    She gained notoriety for frequent campaigns to promote the Ukrainian language and discredit public officials who spoke Russian.

    In 2018, when Ukraine was fighting Russian-financed separatists who had seized territory in the east, she called for a drive to “punch every Russian-speaking person in the jaw”.

    In the early months of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Farion denounced Russian-speaking fighters of the Azov regiment who defended the port city of Mariupol for three months.

    Although Ukrainian is the sole state language of Ukraine, many residents speak Russian as a first language, a legacy of Soviet rule, when Ukrainian was under official pressure.

    Promoting the language has long been an important issue, with parliament passing legislation to entrench its use in public life and in the service industry.

    ALSO READ:  Guan Eng ingatkan PN: PH masih mendahului undi popular dalam PRN

    (Reporting by Ron Popeski and Olexander Kozhukhar; Editing by Sandra Maler)

    Wan
    Wan
    Dedicated wordsmith and passionate storyteller, on a mission to captivate minds and ignite imaginations.

    Related articles

    ADVERTISEMENTFly London from Kuala Lumpur

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.

    Latest posts