Former Ukrainian Speaker Andriy Parubiy assassinated in Lviv

Lviv-Former Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and current Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in Lviv on Saturday, in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called a “horrific murder.”

The attack took place shortly after noon in the city’s Sykhiv district. According to police, an unidentified assailant fired multiple shots at Parubiy before fleeing on an electric bicycle. Witnesses reported that the attacker was dressed as a food courier. Parubiy, 54, died at the scene from his injuries.

Authorities have launched a large-scale manhunt. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Security Service of Ukraine are all involved in the investigation. “We will do everything to find and punish the killer,” Zelenskyy said in a televised statement.

Parubiy was a prominent figure in Ukrainian politics. He served as Speaker of Parliament from 2016 to 2019, and earlier, as Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council during the 2014 Euromaidan revolution. At the time of his death, he was a member of the opposition party European Solidarity, led by former President Petro Poroshenko.

No motive for the killing has yet been confirmed. Some officials have suggested possible Russian involvement, given Parubiy’s strong pro-Ukrainian and anti-Kremlin positions, but investigators have not released any conclusions.

The assassination has shocked Ukraine’s political establishment. International leaders are expected to respond in the coming days as Kyiv braces for potential political fallout.