Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska’s father couldn’t attend her funeral because of war with Russia

CHARLOTTE — The father of the Ukrainian refugee knifed to death on a Charlotte train had to miss her funeral in North Carolina because he is stuck at home due to Russia’s invasion — inflicting yet another scar on a family that fled the war for the comparative safety of the US.

Iryna Zarutska, 23, was buried in Charlotte on Aug. 27, but her father was unable to leave Ukraine because he is of fighting-age and required to remain in the country while its war rages on.

“He had to stay back. He didn’t come for the funeral,” said a neighbor of Zarutska’s family in Charlotte.

“He’s still there for whatever the war time rules are,” the neighbor added.

Zarutska was stabbed to death on Aug. 22 while she rode a Charlotte light rail train home from work. Terrifying footage captured an agitated man sitting behind her unsheathe a pocket knife, then plunge it into her neck without provocation.

The suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., is a career criminal with at least 14 arrests for alarming and violent behavior to his name.

The murder has left Zarutska’s family reeling — especially since they fled to the United States to escape the violence at home in Ukraine.

“They’re taking it really hard,” the neighbor told The Post, explaining Zarutska’s mother, younger brother and sister also live in the US.

“She was sweet. The whole neighborhood loved her. Everyone loved her here. She did a lot of pet sitting for neighbors. She was a good, sweet person,” the neighbor added.

A glowing obituary for Zarutska described her as a talented artist who had dreams of becoming a veterinary assistant.

“She shared her creativity generously, gifting family and friends with her artwork. She loved sculpting and designing unique, eclectic clothing that reflected her vibrant spirit,” the obituary read.

“Iryna will be remembered for her kindness, her creativity, and the lasting impression she left on everyone she met,” it continued. “Her absence leaves a deep void, but her spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those who loved her.”

Her murder sparked outrage over the limited coverage it received, and for a statement Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles released afterwards calling for “compassion” for the killer.

“This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental healthcare and the systems that should be in place,” Lyles told WSOC-TV, adding that Brown was diagnosed with schizophrenia that “needs to be treated with the same compassion, diligence and commitment as cancer and heart disease.”

“Those who are unhoused are more frequently the victim of crimes and not the perpetrators,” she added.

Brown has been charged with murder over the killing. He previously spent five years in prison for a 2014 armed robbery, and was arrested within five months of being released in 2020 after he assaulted his sister.

Before Zarutska’s murder he was most recently also arrested in January for “misuse of the 911 system” when he called the emergency line on police doing a welfare check on him.

But he was let go without bail on a “written promise” that he would return for a hearing.

Zarutska’s neighbor thinks the way officials handled the situation has been “a major failure.”

“It’s insane. [The mayor’s] initial release basically just talking about the animal that did it, like the sympathy and empathy was there for him,” he said. “The first release, she didn’t even say her name. She said the young lady or something.”

“It’s wild.”