Karoline Leavitt blasts media for 'shamefully' ignoring horrific stabbing of Ukrainian refugee
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called out the mainstream media for turning a blind eye to the tragic death of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who was fatally stabbed, allegedly by a repeat offender.
Zarutska's life was cut short after 34-year-old Decarlos Brown allegedly stabbed the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on a train in North Carolina on August 22. Brown was later identified by local law enforcement and has since been charged with first-degree murder.
'Many journalists in this room spilled plenty of ink trying to smear Daniel Penny ... but none of those same reporters lift a finger to write stories about an actual murderer.'
This vicious stabbing was far from Brown's first alleged offense, having previously been arrested for over a dozen other crimes, including convictions for armed robbery and felony larceny.
"This is pure evil on full display," Leavitt said during Tuesday's press briefing. "The most enraging and unacceptable part of this story is that her death was entirely preventable. Decarlos Brown never should have been on that train that night."
RELATED: Mainstream media turns a blind eye to vicious stabbing of young Ukrainian woman
Press sec on the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska: "Tragically, a public transportation system in a major American city was more dangerous than the active war zone that she left. Her death was entirely preventable." pic.twitter.com/pqPaB3k9Ap
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 9, 2025
In the aftermath of the vicious attack, most outlets "shamefully and intentionally failed to report" on the tragedy, which Leavitt argued was because Zarutska's death was politically inconvenient for the largely liberal media.
"Perhaps most shamefully of all, the majority of the media, many outlets in this room, decided that her murder was not worth reporting on originally because it does not fit a preferred narrative," Leavitt said.
RELATED: Horrific video sparks outrage after young Ukrainian woman is fatally stabbed, allegedly by repeat offender
"Many journalists in this room spilled plenty of ink trying to smear Daniel Penny for defending a subway car from New York City, but none of those same reporters lift a finger to write stories about an actual murderer," Leavitt added.
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Mainstream media turns a blind eye to vicious stabbing of young Ukrainian woman
The mainstream media made their bias known after refusing to cover the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee.
Iryna Zarutska was brutally victimized on a train in North Carolina on August 22, suffering stab wounds in the throat before eventually being declared dead at the scene. Zarutska's alleged stabber was later identified as 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, who was charged with first-degree murder in relation to the case.
'This is a greater outrage than the death of every BLM martyr combined times a thousand.'
Records from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department show that Brown has repeatedly been arrested and convicted of serious offenses, including armed robbery and felony larceny.
News of Zarutska's death rapidly spread online and sparked outrage, yet mainstream media outlets outside of local news have continued to ignore the story entirely.
RELATED: Horrific video sparks outrage after young Ukrainian woman is fatally stabbed, allegedly by repeat offender
Critics have pointed to the media's double standard when it comes to covering politically convenient tragedies. Mainstream outlets amplified the death of George Floyd in 2020, writing tens of thousands of articles related to the incident. The same publications that gave wall-to-wall coverage of Floyd's death are now turning a blind eye to Zarutska's.
"Despite the release of an explosive video that has received massive public outcry, as of 4:45 pm eastern today, NONE of our major news outlets except @FoxNews have covered the murder of Iryna Zarutska," the Daily Wire's Megan Basham said in a post on X on Sunday. "Not one."
"This is a greater outrage than the death of every BLM martyr combined times a thousand," the Daily Wire's Matt Walsh said in a post on X.
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Other commentators like Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk have pointed to race as a predominant factor in the media's selective coverage. Kirk argues that the difference in coverage between Zarutska's murder and Floyd's death ultimately comes down to whether the narrative is politically convenient.
"Dear CNN, WaPo, NYT, ABC, NBC etc etc," Kirk said in a post on X Sunday. "If you want to know why your ratings are in the tank and no one likes you, look no further than the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska who moved to US to escape war in Ukraine, a story you refuse to tell.
"Sadly she couldn’t survive the Democrats’ criminal justice system," Kirk added. "Yet you wouldn’t shut up or stop villainizing Daniel Penny, a hero, who probably stopped a murder just like [hers]. Why? Because he was a straight white American male and the perp was black. Shame on you. Genuinely."
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