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Andriy Parubiy, a notable Ukrainian former parliamentary speaker, was reportedly shot dead in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, according to officials.
The Prosecutor General’s office stated that a gunman fired multiple shots at Parubiy, killing him instantly. The assailant escaped, and a manhunt was initiated, they reported.
At 54, Parubiy was serving as a parliament member, had held the position of parliamentary speaker from April 2016 to August 2019, and was a leading figure in the 2013-14 protests advocating for stronger ties with the European Union.
Additionally, he served as the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council between February and August 2014, a critical time when hostilities erupted in eastern Ukraine, and Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.
Officials have not immediately specified if there is any direct connection between Parubiy’s killing and Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
A ‘horrific murder,’ Zelenskyy says
“Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko have just reported on the first known circumstances of a horrific murder in Lviv. Andriy Parubiy has been killed,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Condolences were extended to Parubiy’s family and loved ones, with assurances that “all necessary forces and means are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer”.
Fellow parliament members and government officials have honored Parubiy’s significant contributions to Ukraine’s struggle for sovereignty and independence. Source: AAP / Efrem Lukatsky/AP
National police said the shooting in Lviv was reported at around noon on Saturday (Saturday evening AEST).
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said finding the suspect and establishing the circumstances of the attack was of outmost importance.
“This is a matter of security in a country at war, where, as we can see, there are no completely safe places,” he wrote on Telegram.
Parubiy described as ‘patriot’ and ‘true friend’
Colleagues in parliament and the government, have sent tributes, praising Parubiy’s contribution to Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and independence as one of the leaders of what became known as the Euromaidan protests in 2013-14.
Former president Petro Poroshenko said on Telegram that the killing of Parubiy, who was a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defence and intelligence, was “a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine”.
“Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take revenge, that is what they are afraid of,” he said, lauding Parubiy’s contribution to building out the Ukrainian army.
In a statement on Telegram, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described Parubiy as “a patriot and statesman who made an enormous contribution to the defence of Ukraine’s freedom, independence and sovereignty. He was a man who rightfully belongs in the history books”.
Ukrainian law enforcement provided no information on the suspect’s identity or motives.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko called for a prompt investigation, calling it “a profound loss” for the country.
“You always remained a patriot of Ukraine and made a great contribution to the formation of our state,” she wrote on X.
