Prominent Ukrainian nationalist politician Andriy Parubiy, former speaker of parliament and a key figure in the 2014 Euromaidan revolution, was assassinated on Saturday in the western city of Lviv, according to Ukrainian authorities. He was 54.
Details of the Attack
Security camera footage shows the gunman, disguised as a food delivery worker, approaching Parubiy on foot before drawing a handgun from a yellow insulated bag. The assailant, who fired multiple shots, fled the scene on an electric scooter while wearing a helmet that concealed his face. A manhunt is underway.
Oleksandr Shliakhovskyi, head of the Lviv regional police, said the killing had been “very carefully planned” and executed with meticulous preparation. Authorities are investigating multiple leads, including potential links to Russia.
National Reaction
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assassination as a “terrible murder,” vowing that “all necessary forces” have been mobilized to identify and capture the perpetrator. Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi noted that the killing underscored the grim reality that “in a country at war, there are no completely safe places.”
Former president Petro Poroshenko described Parubiy as a “longtime combat comrade” and a “true patriot,” saying his death was “not just shots fired at a person but at the heart of Ukraine.”
A Pattern of Targeted Killings
Parubiy’s assassination is the latest in a string of high-profile murders of Ukrainian nationalist and security figures since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Last year, former MP Iryna Farion, also from the far-right Svoboda party, was killed in Lviv in a similar attack. Her suspected killer is currently on trial.
Just weeks ago, Ukrainian colonel Ivan Voronych, a senior figure in the Security Service of Ukraine’s Alpha special forces, was shot dead near his home. Authorities later killed two Russian operatives allegedly responsible for the attack.
Parubiy’s Career and Legacy
Parubiy rose to prominence during the 2014 Euromaidan protests, where he organized and commanded the “self-defence” units that clashed with riot police in Kyiv. His leadership during the uprising’s bloodiest days earned him widespread recognition.
A co-founder of the Social-National Party of Ukraine, later known as the Svoboda party, Parubiy transitioned into mainstream politics after the 1990s. He served as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and went on to become speaker of parliament, playing a pivotal role in steering Ukraine toward EU candidate status, granted in 2022.
At the time of his death, Parubiy was serving as a lawmaker in the opposition European Solidarity party, led by Poroshenko.
His assassination marks a major blow to Ukraine’s political establishment at a time of heightened conflict and renewed Russian pressure.
