Murder of Ukrainian politician Parubiy was 'carefully prepared,' Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the death of a prominent Ukrainian politician and former parliamentary speaker, Andriy Parubiy, who was shot and killed in the western city of Lviv on Saturday was "carefully prepared."

"The circumstances of the murder of Andriy Parubiy are being investigated. Many forces are involved, all that is necessary," the Ukrainian leader said in a video address.

Authorities received a call around noon about a shooting incident in Lviv's Frankivskyi district, local police said on Telegram. They did not confirm the victim's identity but said he had died at the scene.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later confirmed the killing on X, describing it as a "terrible murder."

"Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko have just informed me about the first known circumstances of the terrible murder in Lviv. Andriy Parubiy has died," Zelenskyy said.

He offered his condolences to Parubiy's family and loved ones and confirmed all necessary resources had been deployed to find the perpetrator.

The perpetrator allegedly approached the ex-parliament speaker, shot at him, and fled the scene by bicycle, local media reported, adding that seven shell casings were found at the crime scene.

Parubiy, who had been an advocate for closer ties with the European Union, played a significant role in the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2013-2014. He had also participated in the Orange Revolution in 2004.

The 54-year-old had been parliamentary speaker from 2016 until 2019 and was also Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council secretary in 2014, at a time when Russia occupied the Crimea peninsula.