The father of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee killed in the United States, was denied permission to leave Ukraine to attend his daughter’s funeral. According to Daily Mail, Stanislav Zarutsky was refused exit documents because he is of conscription age. Relatives said he was "devastated" by the decision.
Iryna left for the United States three years ago, when she was twenty. In her obituary, the family described her as "a talented and passionate artist," a graduate of Kyiv’s Synergy College in art and restoration. In August 2022, she fled the country with her mother, sister, and brother to escape Russian shelling, settling in North Carolina.
The Murder of Iryna Zarutska
African American Killed Ukrainian Refugee in Charlotte
Major U.S. Media—AP, CNN, The New York Times and Others—Did Not Report It
Police Released Full Footage of Iryna Zarutska’s Killing in the U.S., With the Killer Facing Life Imprisonment or the Death Penalty
Ukraine’s Embassy and Major Ukrainian Media Have Not Mentioned the Incident Even Once
Who Is Decarlos Brown Jr. and Why Was He Free After 14 Arrests
The Life and Story of Iryna Zarutska
She Sought Protection in the US but Found Herself Most Defenseless There—While for Liberal Politicians and Media the Story Proved Inconvenient and Quickly Vanished From the Agenda in Both the US and Ukraine
Iryna with her boyfriend in the United States.
Her life was cut short on August 22, when she was attacked on a train by repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr. After the tragedy, the young man with whom Zarutska lived in Charlotte spoke publicly, posting surveillance footage, drawing attention to the court decision that allowed the accused to remain free, and pointing to the inaction of passengers at the moment of the assault. In a statement, the victim’s family stressed that they expect a thorough investigation and full accountability.