By Daria Tarasova-Markina and Catherine Nicholls, CNN

Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN) — A Ukrainian lawmaker, who was previously the chair of his country’s parliament, has been shot dead in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, officials said Saturday.

Authorities are still searching for the killer of Andriy Parubiy, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on social media, calling the member of parliament’s death a “horrendous murder” and offering his condolences to the victim’s loved ones.

Parubiy, who was also once the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, died before medical personnel arrived on the scene, according to Maksym Kozitskiy, the head the Lviv region military administration.

Ukraine’s General Prosecutor’s Office said that a special operation named “Siren” was launched to investigate the killing. An unknown man is thought to have fired “several shots” at the politician and then fled, it said.

European officials including Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, offered their condolences to Parubiy’s loved ones and the people of Ukraine.

Metsola said she was “deeply shocked by the terrible murder,” while officials from Estonia and Poland also paid tribute to the victim.

Ukrainian member of parliament Iryna Gerashchenko called Parubiy’s death “terrorism,” describing him as a “colleague and friend, a reliable comrade” who “was principled and decent, patriotic, intelligent.”

Petro Poroshenko, a former Ukrainian president, said that Parubiy was “shot dead by monsters in Lviv.”

“What can be said for certain is that these monsters are afraid, and that is why they kill true patriots and strong people,” he wrote on social media. “This crime is not just shots fired at a person. It is a shot at the army. It is a shot at the language. It is a shot at faith. It is a shot at the heart of Ukraine.”

Poroshenko stressed that “the enemy will never be able to kill the ideals for which… Parubiy lived and fought,” adding that, “Ukraine has lost a great son, but his cause will live on as long as our state lives.”

This story was updated to clarify the position Parubiy held at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, where he served as its secretary.

The-CNN-Wire

™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Victoria Butenko contributed to this report.

A prominent Ukrainian politician and former parliament speaker has been shot dead in western Ukraine, officials said, as a search was under way to find the attacker.

Andriy Parubiy, who also previously served as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, was killed in the city of Lviv on Saturday.

The Prosecutor General’s office said a gunman had fired several shots at Parubiy, killing him “on the spot”. The attacker fled, and a manhunt was launched, it said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the killing as a “horrendous murder” and offered his condolences to Parubiy’s family and loved ones.

“All necessary forces and means are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

Parubiy, 54, was a member of parliament and had served as parliamentary speaker from April 2016 to August 2019.

He was also one of the leaders of mass protests in Ukraine in 2013 and 2014, calling for closer ties with the European Union.

Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko have just reported the first known circumstances of the horrendous murder in Lviv. Andriy Parubiy was killed. My condolences to his family and loved ones. All necessary forces and means… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 30, 2025

Ukrainian officials did not immediately release a possible motive for the fatal shooting.

The mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, said finding the killer and establishing the circumstances of the attack was of utmost importance.

Advertisement

“This is a matter of security in a country at war, where, as we can see, there are no completely safe places,” he wrote on Telegram.

Tributes poured in from colleagues in parliament and the government, praising Parubiy’s contribution to Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and independence during the 2013-2014 protest movement.

Former President Petro Poroshenko said on Telegram that his killing was “a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine”.

“Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take revenge, that is what they are afraid of,” he said, lauding Parubiy’s contribution to building out the Ukrainian army.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also described Parubiy as “a patriot and statesman who made an enormous contribution to the defence of Ukraine’s freedom, independence and sovereignty”.

“He was a man who rightfully belongs in the history books,” Sybiha wrote on Telegram.

A former Ukrainian speaker of parliament who was a leading figure in the country’s pro-European protest movements of 2004 and 2014 was shot dead on Saturday in western Ukraine, officials said.

Andriy Parubiy, 54, who also previously served as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, was killed in the city of Lviv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned it as a “horrific murder” and said “all necessary forces and means” would be used in the investigation.

“Unfortunately, the crime was carefully planned,” he said on social media.

Police are still searching for the shooter.

Prosecutors have opened a murder probe but have not mentioned any possible motives.

“An unidentified man fired several shots at the politician, killing Andriy Parubiy on the spot,” the prosecutor general’s office said.

Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne cited anonymous sources saying the shooter was dressed as a delivery rider and was on an electric bike.

Photos purporting to show the crime scene were published by Ukrainian media but their authenticity could not be independently verified.

They showed a man with a bloodied face lying in the street.

Some of the tributes from Ukrainian officials to Parubiy, who was still a member of parliament, hinted at suspicions of Russian involvement.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022 both sides have accused each other of assassinations of key political and military figures.

Russian state media said Parubiy has been wanted by Russian authorities since 2023.

– ‘Shot at the heart of Ukraine’ –

Educated as a historian, Parubiy had campaigned for Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union as a young man.

He was also a major supporter of the use of the Ukrainian language over Russian — a highly politicised issue.

During the Maidan protests of 2014, he was a “commander” of opposition self-defence forces.

That same year, Ukrainian media said that he survived an assassination attempt by grenade.

After the ousting of then Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia, Parubiy served on the National Security and Defence Council for several months.

Ex-president Petro Poroshenko, who succeeded Yanukovych, paid tribute to a “brother-in-arms” and said his murder was “a shot at the heart of Ukraine”.

“The enemy will never be able to kill the ideals for which Andriy Parubiy lived and fought,” he said.

Mustafa Nayem, a key activist in the Maidan protests, remembered Parubiy as “open and able to talk to people on equal terms”.

“Andriy always retained his humanity, which was remarkable for someone of his political standing,” Nayem told AFP.

– ‘Killed by enemy bullets’ –

Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov paid tribute to “a statesman, patriot and uncompromising fighter for Ukraine’s independence”.

He said Parubiy had been “killed by enemy bullets”, without elaborating.

Parubiy “dedicated his life to the fight for Ukraine’s independence from a very early age,” said current parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.

He was “one of the founders of modern Ukraine”, said the lawmaker Iryna Gerashchenko.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Parubiy had helped Poland evacuate its consulate in Sevastopol during Russia’s takeover of Crimea.

“The news of his assassination is shocking,” he said.

bur-dt/dc

Russian attack on Kyiv kills more than a dozen people, including 4 kids

A former Ukrainian speaker of parliament who was a leading figure in the country’s pro-European protest movements in 2004 and 2014 was shot dead on Saturday in western Ukraine, officials said.

Andriy Parubiy, 54, who also previously served as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, was killed in the city of Lviv. Local media reports say he was shot multiple times by a gunman dressed as a courier on an e-bike, according to CBS News partner BBC News.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned it as a “horrific murder” and said “all necessary forces and means” would be used in the investigation.

Prosecutors have opened a murder probe and said police were still searching for the shooter but have not mentioned possible motives at this stage.

“An unidentified man fired several shots at the politician, killing Andriy Parubiy on the spot,” the prosecutor general’s office said.

Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne cited anonymous sources saying the shooter was dressed as a delivery rider and was on an electric bike.

The body of former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy, who was killed this morning, lies on the ground in Lviv, Ukraine August 30, 2025. Roman Baluk / REUTERS

Photos purporting to show the crime scene were published by Ukrainian media, showing a man with a bloodied face lying in the street.

Some of the tributes to Parubiy from Ukrainian officials hinted at suspicions against Russia.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, both sides have accused each other of assassinations of political and military figures.

Former President Petro Poroshenko said the killing of Parubiy was “a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine,” BBC News reported.

“Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take revenge, that is what they are afraid of,” he wrote on Telegram.

Last month, one of Ukraine’s security top service members, Colonel Ivan Voronych, was killed in a bold daylight attack in Kyiv. Days later, Ukraine’s security agency said it tracked down and killed two Russian agents suspected of murdering Voronych.

Prominent Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy shot dead in Lviv

39 minutes ago Share Save Tom Bennett BBC News Share Save

Getty Images Parubiy was a former secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council

The former speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Andriy Parubiy has been shot dead in the western city of Lviv, officials have said. Unverified footage, purportedly of the shooting, appears to show a gunman dressed as a courier approaching Parubiy on the street and holding up a weapon as he walks behind him, before fleeing. A huge manhunt is now under way for the suspect. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Saturday’s attack as a “terrible murder” and offered condolences to Parubiy’s family. Parubiy, 54, rose to prominence during Ukraine’s Euromaidan mass protests, which advocated closer ties with the EU and brought down pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.

A special operation, codenamed Siren, has now been launched by Ukrainian authorities aimed at tracking down and arresting the suspected shooter. “All necessary forces and means are being deployed,” Zelensky said in a statement. Ukraine’s prosecutors said “an unidentified gunman fired several shots at the politician” and that Parubiy “died on the spot”. BBC sources in Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies said that seven shell casings were later found at the scene. The source also said the attacker was dressed to look like a courier for delivery company Glovo. In the video of the incident, the suspect can be seen carrying a yellow delivery bag. The assailant is also reported to have had an e-bike.

Reuters Police have sealed off the site of Saturday’s shooting and launched an investigation