Andrii Parubii, the former speaker of Ukraine’s parliament and a key figure in the 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, has been killed in the western city of Lviv.
The National Police of Ukraine initially reported that a political leader had been shot dead in the city. Later, European Solidarity party lawmaker Iryna Herashchenko confirmed that the victim was 53-year-old Andrii Parubii.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his condolences in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). “Andrii Parubii has died. My condolences to his family and loved ones,” he wrote. Zelenskyy added, “All necessary forces and means are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer.”
Police and security forces have cordoned off areas of Lviv as the investigation is underway. Authorities have not yet revealed details about the shooting, nor whether any suspects have been identified or detained.
Parubii gained fame during the 2013-14 EuroMaiden protests, where he served as the commandant of the protest camp in Kyiv’s Independence Square. After the removal of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, he became secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
Parubii was elected as the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, in 2016 and stayed in power till 2019. He continued to stay politically active as a member of the European Solidarity Party, led by ex-president Petro Poroshenko.
The unfortunate incident has put the entire political circle of Ukraine in shock. An investigation is underway to identify the assailant.