Ukraine is daily experiencing manifestations of "hybrid Russian aggression". Apart from bombs and missiles, the Russian Federation avoids nothing, neither cyber-attacks, nor sabotage in critical infrastructure enterprises, nor open violence against politicians and public figures.
Demonstrative murder in Lviv on June 19, 2024, the former People's Deputy and charismatic public figure Irina Farion has signs of contract killing.
Ukrainian law enforcement authorities and officials are considering versions related to both the personal motives and public activities of I. Farion. In the conditions of war, however, “the Russian trail” in this crime also cannot be excluded. This, in particular, was noted by the President of Ukraine V. Zelensky and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine I. Klimenko.
In this murder on a quiet July evening in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which has sheltered many displaced people and is a center for Western aid to Ukraine, the style of Russian special services can be traced. Several leaders of the Ukrainian resistance were liquidated at once on direct orders from Moscow.
Previously, reports of attempts to kill President V. Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials repeatedly appeared in the media.
In the case of the murder of I. Farion, the Russian media demonstratively adheres to an allegedly neutral position, referring to the versions of the Ukrainian side.
However, the murder of I. Farion looks like a "show execution" from an openly Ukrainian position or, as Ukrainian Internet users write, about the desire to “build Ukraine in Ukraine”.
In addition to widespread publicity, this crime can have far-reaching consequences.
Opens a wide field for manipulations of Russian propaganda and strengthening of destructive processes in Ukraine.
There is a high probability that Russia will use the assassination of I. Farion to conduct false flag operations in Ukraine and promote various IPSOs to destabilize the socio-political situation and divide Ukrainian society along certain significant lines.
The murder of I. Farion significantly correlates with a chain of mysterious assassination attempts on charismatic politicians and public figures around the world. Russia appears to be deliberately seeking to reshape the political landscape in certain countries, removing proactive politicians who might oppose its expansion.
Given the infernal attraction of Russian politicians to symbolic dates, the attempt to kill I. Farion can be interpreted as a signal to Europe, which seeks to unite for further assistance to Ukraine. The Lone Psycho version launches the Russian propaganda favorite scenario of the outbreak of the First World War with the fatal shot of the Serbian fanatic-nationalist Gavrilo Princip) and the destabilization of Europe (July – August, symbolism of dates).
However, it is most likely that the assassination attempt on I. Farion will be used for targeted operations to destabilize Ukrainian society and provoke discontent with the current government.
The contours of several informational and psychological operations, which are already being conducted by Russia on the basis of the assassination attempt of I. Farion, are clearly visible.
It is the supposed impotence of power, its inability to "purify" and failure to remove Russian agents on the ground. Such an operation is aimed at destabilizing the Ukrainian power hierarchy and creating distrust in various structures, in particular law enforcement agencies. There are even attempts to manipulate the subject of the blackout and promote narratives about the rising level of violence in Ukraine. This structure and content of the information operation correlates with Russia's attempts to create governance crises that we see in the West.
Obviously, however, the main emphasis will be on the formation of a split between the eastern and western parts of Ukraine; Russian-speaking and Ukrainian-speaking citizens; civil and military. It is not by chance that the Russian media actively emphasize the existing disagreements between I. Farion and some representatives of the Ukrainian military formations.
The conspiracy theory about the “surrender of Ukraine” is being popularized. and special liquidation of figures capable of leading the resistance of the population. But it is this version that emphasizes Russia's intentions to remove the patriots of the Ukrainian state from the political arena and rely on obedient “proxies”, as happened in the DPR/LPR.
The technique of schism is one of the leading characteristics of Russian propaganda. So, in this case, the death of a politician and personal biographical facts will be unconditionally used by the Russian side for their destructive purposes on the path of “hybrid war”.
Vladimir Rostotsky, political scientist