Former Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy, a prominent figure in the country’s pro-European protest movements, was shot dead on Saturday in the western city of Lviv, officials confirmed.
Parubiy, 54, who had also served as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, was gunned down by an unknown assailant.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the assassination as a “horrific murder” and vowed that “all necessary forces and means” would be mobilized in the investigation.
He added that the crime appeared to be meticulously planned.
Police are still searching for the gunman, who reportedly fired several shots at Parubiy, killing him instantly.
The prosecutor general’s office has opened a murder investigation but has not yet revealed any possible motives.
Early reports indicate that the shooter, dressed as a delivery rider and riding an electric bike, fled the scene shortly after the attack.
Ukrainian media published photos from the scene, showing a bloodied figure lying on the street, though their authenticity remains unverified.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, both Russian and Ukrainian officials have accused each other of targeting key political and military figures.
Russian state media indicated that Parubiy had been a wanted man since 2023, fueling suspicions of Russian involvement in his killing.
Parubiy, an outspoken advocate for Ukrainian independence, had been an influential figure since his youth, campaigning for the country’s sovereignty during the Soviet era and championing the Ukrainian language over Russian.
During the 2014 Maidan protests, he led opposition self-defense forces and narrowly survived a grenade attack.
Ex-President Petro Poroshenko, who succeeded Viktor Yanukovych, expressed grief, calling Parubiy a “brother-in-arms” and saying his death was “a shot at the heart of Ukraine.” Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov also paid tribute, stating that Parubiy had been “killed by enemy bullets.”
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski remembered Parubiy’s role in evacuating Poland’s consulate in Sevastopol during Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, calling the news of his assassination “shocking.”
Parubiy is remembered by many as a patriot and uncompromising fighter for Ukraine’s independence, and his death has left the nation mourning the loss of a key founding figure of modern Ukraine.
