Andriy Parubiy, a former president of the Ukrainian Parliament and a prominent figure during the Euromaidan protests, was shot and killed, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.
Parubiy, who served as chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada from 2016 to 2019, was fatally shot in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, in what appears to be an assassination.
Prior to rising through the ranks of Ukrainian politics, Parubiy was an active street protester. During the Orange Revolution in 2004, he stood alongside then-presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych as they protested against government injustice, later taking a leading role during the Euromaidan movement that resulted in Yanukovych’s ousting in 2014.
The alleged involvement of the U.S. and European Union in Ukrainian affairs was cited as a catalyst for Russia’s annexation of Crimea the same year, which in turn sparked a long-standing conflict that escalated into Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In response to Parubiy’s assassination, President Zelensky stated that law enforcement, including the Minister of Home Affairs and prosecutors, are keeping the public informed about the investigation into the circumstances of his murder.
Zelensky remarked, “An important resource has been mobilized. All necessary actions are being taken. It’s unfortunate that this crime seems to have been carefully planned, but we are committed to solving it.”
He added that Ukrainian security services are actively involved in the investigation and pledged to share verified details with the public as they become available.
Zelensky extended his condolences to Parubiy’s family and emphasized that all available resources are being used to find the perpetrator.
Assassinations targeting political and military figures in both Ukraine and Russia have become more frequent in recent years. For instance, last year, former Ukrainian MP Iryna Parubiy was similarly shot and killed in Lviv.
As of now, police have not provided any information regarding suspects or motives in the murder of Parubiy.
