The city of Lviv, often considered a relative haven in war-torn Ukraine, was rocked on August 30, 2025, by the brazen assassination of Andriy Parubiy, a towering figure in the country’s pro-European political landscape. Parubiy, 54, was gunned down in broad daylight in the Sykhovsky district, sending shockwaves through the Ukrainian political establishment and reigniting anxieties about security—even far from the front lines of conflict. The hunt for his killer, who fled the scene disguised as a delivery rider, is now the focus of a massive manhunt involving Ukraine’s top law enforcement agencies.
According to multiple reports, including those from BBC News and Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne, Parubiy was walking in Lviv around noon when an unidentified man, dressed as a courier for the Spanish delivery service Glovo and riding an electric bike, approached him. The assailant waited behind a car, then fired between five and eight shots—striking Parubiy in the head and back—before fleeing the scene. The attack was captured on security footage, some of which has been widely circulated by Ukrainian media, showing the chilling efficiency and planning behind the killing.
President Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to confirm the death and express his condolences to Parubiy’s family and friends. He called the murder “horrific” and “carefully prepared,” stating, “All necessary forces and means are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer.” Zelensky also ordered Vasyl Maliuk, the chief of Ukraine’s SBU security service, to join the investigation, underscoring the gravity with which authorities are treating the case. “The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, and the Prosecutor General, Ruslan Kravchenko, have just reported the first known circumstances of the terrible murder in Lviv,” Zelensky said, according to statements on X (formerly Twitter).
The National Police of Ukraine received a report of gunfire in the Sykhivsky district at around noon. In their official statement, police said, “An unknown man fired several shots at a politician, as a result of which Andriy Parubiy died on the spot.” Seven shell casings were found at the scene, and the suspect, described as wearing a black helmet with yellow markings, remains at large. Maksym Kozytskyi, the governor of Lviv Oblast, confirmed that a search for the shooter is underway, while Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi stressed, “This is a matter of security in a country at war, where, as we can see, there are no completely safe places.”
Parubiy’s assassination has prompted an outpouring of tributes and condemnation from across the Ukrainian political spectrum. Former President Petro Poroshenko described the killing as “a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine,” adding, “Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take revenge, that is what they are afraid of.” Parubiy’s successor as parliamentary speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk, called him “a consistent defender of Ukrainian statehood,” and Iryna Gerashchenko, a fellow lawmaker and party colleague, declared, “We associate this murder with his state-building pro-Ukrainian position and believe that behind this brutal crime may stand our eternal enemy and terrorist – the Russian Federation and its fifth column.”
While officials have not publicly confirmed any motive, suspicions and accusations have swirled around possible Russian involvement. As reported by AFP and BBC News, some tributes from Ukrainian officials have hinted at Moscow’s hand, reflecting the deep-seated mistrust that has only grown since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “The enemy will never be able to kill the ideals for which Andriy Parubiy lived and fought,” said Poroshenko, echoing a sentiment widely shared among Ukraine’s pro-European political class.
Parubiy’s political career was defined by his staunch advocacy for Ukrainian independence and his prominent role in two of the country’s most significant protest movements: the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013–2014 Euromaidan uprising. As a young man, he campaigned for Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union and, later, became a major supporter of the use of the Ukrainian language—a deeply political issue in the country. During the Maidan protests, Parubiy served as a “commander” of opposition self-defense forces and survived an assassination attempt when a grenade was thrown at his feet, only to roll under a car and spare his life.
Following the ousting of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, Parubiy briefly served as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, a period marked by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine. He later became the first deputy speaker of parliament and, from 2016 to 2019, held the position of parliamentary speaker. Parubiy was known for officiating at President Zelensky’s inauguration in 2019, joking warmly as he closed the ceremony, “That was fun.”
Throughout his career, Parubiy was a frequent target of Russian disinformation campaigns, a reality that only intensified as he became a leading figure in Ukraine’s opposition party, European Solidarity. His colleagues lauded him as “one of the founders of modern Ukraine” and “patriotic, intelligent, and principled.” As MP Iryna Gerashchenko put it, “My throat tightens with rage and hatred towards the enemy.” She demanded “an immediate, thorough, professional, transparent investigation into the murder of the statesman.”
The murder investigation, led by the National Police, regional authorities, and the Security Service of Ukraine, has yet to yield a suspect or a clear motive. Law enforcement officers have pledged to disclose all details “in the manner and to the extent stipulated by criminal procedural legislation.” For now, the identity and whereabouts of the gunman remain unknown, and the Ukrainian public is left grappling with the implications of such a high-profile assassination in a city that, until now, had largely escaped the violence of the ongoing war.
Parubiy’s death is not the first recent instance of a prominent Ukrainian figure being targeted. Earlier this year, former Ukrainian official Andriy Portnov was shot dead outside a school in Madrid, Spain—a reminder that the tentacles of political violence can reach far beyond Ukraine’s borders. The murder of Parubiy, however, hits especially hard at home, symbolizing not just a personal loss for his family and friends, but a profound blow to Ukraine’s sense of security and political stability.
As Ukraine mourns the loss of a leader many considered a patriot and a founder of the modern state, the country’s resolve to confront both internal and external threats is once again being put to the test. The investigation continues, but for now, the shadow of this carefully orchestrated killing lingers over Lviv and the nation as a whole.
