The murder of Parubiy: what is known about the killer and motives
On the night of August 31 to September 1, an official SBU Telegram channel reported the detention of a suspect in the murder of former VR Speaker, Deputy Andriy Parubiy. Only 36 hours passed from the moment of the crime to the announcement of the arrest.
«The suspect was detained in Khmelnytskyi region. According to investigators, the attempt on the people's deputy was carefully planned in advance: the perpetrator studied the victim's schedule, mapped out the route, and prepared an escape plan. Thanks to coordinated actions of the SBU and National Police, within 24 hours of the attack, they were able to track down the suspect, and within 36 hours — to arrest him,» the law enforcement officials said.
At the same time, President Zelensky informed about the crime's disclosure: «I just spoke with Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka. He reported on the further procedural steps regarding the suspect in the murder of Andriy Parubiy. There are initial testimonies from the suspect. Further urgent investigative actions are underway to establish all the circumstances of this murder.»
In the morning, some details about the arrest of the suspect began to emerge.
Head of the National Police Ivan Vyhivskyi stated that there is a Russian trace in the crime: "He prepared for a long time, monitored, planned, and finally pulled the trigger. It took us only 36 hours to track him down and arrest him. On August 30, in the Frankivsk district of Lviv, he disguised himself as a courier and opened fire on a politician right in the middle of the day. Eight shots. Cold-blooded brutality. He even confirmed that the victim died. Then he tried to hide the traces — changed clothes, got rid of the weapon, and tried to hide in Khmelnytskyi region. We know: this crime is not accidental. It has a Russian trace. Everyone will answer before the law».
Channel 5 , citing sources in law enforcement agencies, reported that Russian special services have been blackmailing the suspect for a year with information about the whereabouts of his son, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who went missing during the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Later, Deputy Head of the National Police — Head of Criminal Police Andriy Nebytov reported that the National Police collected evidence of the suspect's involvement in the murder of Andriy Parubiy.
«Today, we primarily consider the Russian trace — an order from the Russian Federation. At the same time, we are studying all possible motives and do not rule out any version. We will be able to draw final conclusions after conducting the necessary investigative actions. The crime was carefully planned, its preparation lasted more than one month. We have a lot of work ahead of us,» emphasized Andriy Nebytov.
The detained individual turned out to be a 52-year-old resident of Lviv, who did not have a permanent job. He has been charged with crimes under Part 1 of Article 115 (premeditated murder) and Part 1 of Article 263 (illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The maximum punishment under these articles is up to 15 years in prison.
Radio Liberty , citing its sources in law enforcement agencies, reports that during the initial interrogations, the suspect in the murder of People's Deputy, former VR Speaker Andriy Parubiy, confessed to the crime and revealed his contacts with representatives of Russia, stating that he got in touch with them while trying to find his son, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who went missing.
The suspect said he had a son who was a serviceman, and in 2023, he learned from his comrades that his son went missing in Bakhmut direction. Then, according to him, he started monitoring Russian social networks to find more information about his son's fate. Later, he began communicating with representatives of the Russian Federation, who allegedly provided him with information that his son had died.
According to the suspect, Russian representatives in conversations supposedly justified Russia's actions in the war against Ukraine and, conversely, accused Ukrainian officials of its escalation. The suspect, according to sources, told his contacts in Russia that he lives in Lviv and spoke about Andriy Parubiy, whom he allegedly saw "multiple times".
Subsequently, continuing communication with Russian representatives, he began preparing for the murder: obtained weapons, purchased gear — a bicycle and a helmet, and also bought a car with forged documents, which he used to monitor the politician. According to sources, this information was disclosed during the suspect's initial interrogations — now it is being verified by the investigation.
Journalists of the publication Vysoky Zamok, citing their sources, also reported that «the Russians, taking advantage of the tragedy of the father, told him that they would return his son's body in exchange for the murder of any well-known Ukrainian politician».
