The cold-blooded murder of a well-known public figure is an attempt on our fundamental values: the right to an opinion, the right to defend one's beliefs, and everyone who encroaches on this should be punished, said Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Agency (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, on the day of farewell to Iryna Farion, who died on July 19.

"Today Ukraine said goodbye to public figure and scientist Iryna Farion. The cold-blooded murder of a famous linguist is a challenge for the entire Ukrainian society, a crime against the fundamental rights and freedoms of Ukrainians," Budanov wrote on the Telegram channel.

According to him, this tragedy once again "demonstrated that the enemy seeks to use any tools to divide our nation. Therefore, we have no right to forget that despite our differences in political positions, the right to an opinion, the right to defend our beliefs, is sacred. This is the foundation of our freedom and everyone who encroaches on it must be punished," he said.

"Iryna Farion died for the Ukrainian position. We have no right to tolerate such crimes and will continue to defend Ukraine both at the front and inside our state," Budanov stressed.