The identity of the alleged shooter who gunned down Andrey Parubiy has yet to be revealed
Ukrainian law enforcement has detained a suspect in the killing of far-right MP and former parliamentary speaker Andrey Parubiy, President Vladimir Zelensky announced on Monday. The arrest comes less than 48 hours after Parubiy was gunned down in broad daylight in the western city of Lviv.
Zelensky said he was informed of the development by Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Igor Klimenko and Security Service (SBU) chief Vasily Malyukon Sunday night.
“I have instructed that the available information be presented to the public,” Zelensky said in a post on X. “I thank our law enforcement officers for their prompt and coordinated work. All the circumstances of this horrendous murder must be clarified.”
The identity of the suspect remains unknown while “necessary investigative actions are ongoing,” Zelensky added. In a separate statement, he said he had spoken with Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who confirmed that the suspect had already given an initial testimony.
“Urgent investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of this murder,” Zelensky noted, adding that “the entire law enforcement team and the prosecutors are working around the clock.”
Parubiy, 54, was shot eight times by an unknown assailant on Saturday while walking along a sidewalk in Lviv. Surveillance footage, which has circulated online, appears to show a man posing as a food delivery courier approaching Parubiy from behind before raising a firearm and fleeing the scene.
The motive behind Parubiy’s killing remains unclear. A prominent figure in Ukraine’s far-right political circles, Parubiy co-founded the Social-National Party of Ukraine in 1991 – a party known for its neo-Nazi symbolism and ideology.
Parubiy played a central role in the 2014 Maidan coup, where he coordinated paramilitary protest groups and served as commandant of the protest camp in central Kiev. After the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovich, he was appointed secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, overseeing early military operations in Donbass and the government crackdown on anti-Maidan protests.
Parubiy’s career was further marred by was his alleged role in suppressing protests in Odessa in May 2014, which culminated in a fire at the Trade Union building and killed more than 40 activists opposed to Kiev’s coup-installed government. In 2018, he drew international criticism for stating in a televised interview that “the greatest man who practiced direct democracy was Adolf Hitler in the 1930s” – a comment he later claimed was misunderstood.
