A suspect in the fatal shooting of Andrii Parubii, a Ukrainian politician who previously served as the parliament speaker, has been detained, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in the early hours of Sept. 1.
“The suspect has given an initial testimony. Urgent investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of this murder,” Zelensky said.
Parubii, 54, was shot dead in Lviv on Aug. 30 by an assailant disguised as a courier, prompting a nationwide manhunt. During a press briefing in Lviv, police officials said that Parubii was shot at eight times with a short-barreled firearm. Seven shell casings were found at the crime scene.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that the suspect was apprehended in the western Khmelnytskyi Oblast.
“The crime was carefully prepared: the attacker studied the victim’s movements, mapped out the route, and planned the escape,” Klymenko added. “Once again, police officers and employees of the Security Service of Ukraine have demonstrated a high level of professionalism. Within 24 hours of the murder, they were already on the direct trail of the shooter, and within 36 hours — they detained him. More details will be provided later by the police.”
Parubii, a prominent Ukrainian activist and politician, was born in 1971 near Lviv. His public life began during the Soviet era, where he was arrested twice for organizing anti-government protests.
Following Ukraine’s independence, Parubiy transitioned into politics, first winning a seat in parliament in 2007. He was an active participant in the nation’s major pro-democracy movements, including the 2004 Orange Revolution.
He gained prominence during the 2014 EuroMaidan protests where he led volunteer self-defense groups. The 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution called for closer ties with the European Union and led to the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
After the removal of Yanukovych, Parubiy served as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council from February to August 2014. This period coincided with Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in eastern parts of Ukraine, namely Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Due to his key position during the initial stages of Russian aggression, Parubiy frequently became a target of Russian state propaganda and disinformation campaigns.
Law enforcement authorities said they are investigating whether Parubii received threats before his death.
Russia says the quiet part out loud — war in Ukraine to continue, more mass bombings of cities
“Today we will clarify the tasks of the troop groups in the directions for the autumn period,” Valery Gerasimov said.
