He was considered a symbolic figure of the Maidan movement: In Lviv, western Ukraine, a member of parliament from Kyiv was shot dead by a man on a bicycle. President Zelenskyy calls Andriy Parubiy murder.
A member of parliament has been assassinated in Ukraine. Former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy was killed in the western city of Lviv, according to authorities.
According to the National Police, an emergency call came in around noon in the south of Lviv, reports the Kyiv Independent portal. Parubiy was hit several times there and died at the scene, according to reports. Photos of the deceased, who was apparently shot in the street, are circulating on social media.
Authorities initially offered no information about possible suspects or a motive. Whether there was a connection to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine was initially unclear. However, Ukrainian media report that a man on an e-bike is now being sought.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke on Platform X of a"horrific murder" of the 54-year-old MP. Zelenskyy stated that the investigation into the crime and the search for the perpetrator were ongoing. He expressed his condolences to the politician's family.
Parubiy was one of the leading figures in the Orange Revolution. He led the self-defense units during the Maidan protests of 2013/14. He later became Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council—at a time when Russia occupied Crimea and began the war in Donbas.
dpa/AFP/kami
