In a shocking attack in western Ukraine, former Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy has been fatally shot in the city of Lviv, officials confirmed on Saturday.
Unverified video footage circulating online appears to show a gunman, disguised as a delivery courier, approaching Parubiy on a street. The footage shows the suspect raising a firearm from behind before fleeing the scene. Ukrainian authorities have launched an intense manhunt for the attacker.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the killing, calling it a “terrible murder” and expressing his condolences to Parubiy’s family.
Parubiy, 54, was a central figure during Ukraine’s Euromaidan protests, the 2013-2014 movement that demanded closer ties with the European Union and eventually led to the fall of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Operation ‘Siren’ Launched
Ukrainian authorities have initiated a special operation, codenamed “Siren,” to track down and apprehend the suspected shooter. “All necessary forces and means are being deployed,” President Zelensky said in a statement.
According to prosecutors, “an unidentified gunman fired several shots at the politician,” with Parubiy reportedly “dying on the spot.” Lviv police chief Oleksandr Shliakhovskyi said during a briefing that the assailant had fired about eight rounds from a firearm that has not yet been identified, and described the attack as “very carefully planned.”
Lviv’s chief prosecutor, Mykola Meret, confirmed that investigators are exploring all possible motives for the shooting, including potential Russian involvement. Ukrainian law enforcement sources told the BBC that seven shell casings were recovered at the scene.
The attacker reportedly wore the uniform of a Glovo delivery courier and carried a yellow delivery bag, with reports indicating he used an e-bike to escape. Glovo expressed its shock over the incident, saying it would fully cooperate with authorities.
A Life Marked by Activism and Service
Parubiy rose to prominence as a key leader in the Euromaidan movement, organizing and coordinating the protestors’ “self-defence” units that safeguarded Kyiv’s central tent camps. He sustained multiple injuries in clashes with riot police during the demonstrations.
Following Yanukovych’s ouster, Parubiy served as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, a period coinciding with Russia-backed separatist uprisings in eastern Ukraine and Russia’s annexation of Crimea. After Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, Parubiy joined Ukraine’s territorial defense forces.
At the time of his death, he was serving as a lawmaker in Ukraine’s current parliament.
Tributes Pour In
Ukraine’s 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.” Sybiha added: “He was a man who rightfully belongs in the history books.”
Former President Petro Poroshenko called the killing “a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine.” On Telegram, he wrote, “Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take revenge, that is what they are afraid of,” highlighting Parubiy’s pivotal role in strengthening Ukraine’s army.
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