Lviv, Ukraine — Shock and outrage gripped Ukraine on Saturday after former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in the western city of Lviv. Authorities have confirmed the killing, which President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned as a “horrific murder.”
Police reported that Parubiy, 54, died on the spot from his injuries. Law enforcement has launched a nationwide manhunt, but the motive for the attack and the identity of the gunman remain unknown. Reports from local media suggest the assailant, disguised as a food delivery courier, fired multiple shots before fleeing the scene on an electric bicycle.
In a statement, President Zelensky vowed that investigators would “leave no stone unturned” in identifying those responsible, stressing the need for a “thorough investigation.” He expressed his condolences to Parubiy’s family and loved ones, adding that all necessary forces and means have been engaged in the search for the killer.
Parubiy’s career spanned some of Ukraine’s most turbulent political chapters. He served as parliamentary speaker from 2016 to 2019 and was a prominent leader of both the pro-European Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Maidan Revolution of 2014, which fundamentally reshaped Ukraine’s political trajectory. His death has drawn widespread tributes from political figures across the country, with former President Petro Poroshenko describing the assassination as “a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine.” The killing has also raised questions about internal security in a nation at war.