Court Reinstates License of Lawyer Representing Farion Murder Suspect

Larysa Kryvoruchko’s Legal Practice Restored

According to Главком: A court has overturned a decision by the Vinnytsia Regional Bar Qualification and Disciplinary Commission, allowing attorney Larysa Kryvoruchko to resume her legal practice. Kryvoruchko is defending Vyacheslav Zinchenko, the man accused of murdering Iryna Farion.

On June 5, 2026, the commission suspended Kryvoruchko’s law license for one year, through June 5, 2027, citing alleged violations of professional ethics during a 2025 trial at the Uzhhorod City Court. Because of the suspension, a Lviv court appointed a state-funded lawyer for Zinchenko on June 15, as the defendant was unaware of why his private counsel had been removed.

Case Background

Kryvoruchko began representing Zinchenko in April 2026, after he dismissed his previous attorneys, Ihor Sulyma and Volodymyr Voronyak. Prosecutors from the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office have completed their pretrial investigation and submitted an indictment against Zinchenko, who faces a potential life sentence.

Iryna Farion died on the evening of July 19, 2024, in a hospital following an attack on Masaryk Street in Lviv. Commenting on the situation, Kryvoruchko stated:

“My legal practice was suspended unlawfully. I filed a lawsuit challenging this illegal decision in court. I submitted a motion to secure the claim, and the court granted it. The court ruling has been issued and sent to the court.”

Kryvoruchko believes the commission’s decision was part of a targeted pressure campaign and a deliberate effort to remove her from the case. Her legal team promptly appealed the disciplinary ruling, and the court granted the request, fully suspending the commission’s order until the dispute is resolved on its merits. Kryvoruchko’s return to the case involving Vyacheslav Zinchenko is expected to be a significant development in the criminal proceedings.

The reinstatement of Kryvoruchko’s license highlights the importance of safeguarding attorneys’ rights when defending their clients. The court’s decision to restore her license could influence the trajectory of Zinchenko’s case, as Kryvoruchko, an experienced advocate, may play a key role in the proceedings. It also underscores broader challenges related to legal protections for lawyers in Ukraine, which could have lasting implications for their work.

The recent reinstatement of Larysa Kryvoruchko's legal license marks a significant turn in the ongoing murder case of Iryna Farion. Following her suspension, a state-appointed attorney was briefly assigned to represent Vyacheslav Zinchenko. For more details on the implications of this temporary legal arrangement, you can read about the temporary defense representation for the murder suspect.