Ukraine was shaken on Saturday, August 30, 2025, after the assassination of former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy in Lviv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the killing in an official statement, calling it a “horrific murder” and pledging that every resource of the state would be used to track down the killer.
The Assassination in Lviv
According to Ukrainian authorities, the 54-year-old lawmaker was gunned down around midday in the southern district of Lviv. Eyewitnesses reported that a masked attacker, disguised as a food delivery courier, fired several shots at Parubiy before fleeing the scene on an electric bicycle. He was hit multiple times and died instantly.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko briefed Zelenskyy soon after the incident, confirming that an intensive manhunt had been launched. Security services sealed off the area while investigators collected shell casings and reviewed CCTV footage.
Who Was Andriy Parubiy?
Born on January 31, 1971, in Chervonohrad, western Ukraine, Andriy Parubiy was a prominent political figure whose career spanned three decades.
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He rose to national prominence during the Euromaidan protests of 2013–2014, when he led the “Maidan Self-Defense” units that protected demonstrators in Kyiv’s Independence Square.
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Following the ousting of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, Parubiy was appointed Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, a role he held during one of Ukraine’s most turbulent years in 2014.
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In 2016, he became Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Speaker of Parliament), a position he held until 2019.
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Most recently, Parubiy was serving as a member of parliament, aligned with pro-European political forces, particularly the European Solidarity Party.
He was widely regarded as a defender of Ukraine’s sovereignty and a key architect of its democratic institutions.
Zelenskyy’s Reaction
President Zelenskyy condemned the assassination, calling it “a crime against Ukraine’s political stability and democracy.” In a late-night address, he promised that those behind the murder would face justice. “This horrific murder cannot go unanswered. All forces of law and order are now working to capture the killer,” he said.
