Ukraine probes possible Russian link after MP Parubiy shot dead in Lviv

On September 2, a court in Lviv is due to decide whether to remand in custody a man accused of murdering Ukrainian MP Andriy Parubiy.

The Office of the Prosecutor General confirmed that the hearing will take place at 13:00 local time in Halytskyi District Court, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

Prosecutors are seeking pre-trial detention without the possibility of bail.

Parubiy, a sitting member of parliament, was shot dead in Lviv on August 30. The assailant, disguised as a courier, opened fire eight times, killing the politician at the scene.

Witnesses said the gunman checked that his victim was dead before fleeing. Police immediately launched a special operation codenamed Siren.

The suspect, a 52-year-old resident of Lviv, was arrested the following day in the neighbouring Khmelnytskyi region. Investigators say the attack was meticulously planned, with the accused tracking Parubiy’s movements and preparing an escape route. Law enforcement officials have not ruled out possible links to Russia.

Andriy Nebytov, deputy head of the National Police, said there were grounds to believe the killing may have been a contract murder. Prosecutors and investigators are now working to establish the shooter’s motives and whether others were involved in orchestrating the crime.

The suspect, who has been charged with murder, is unemployed and is believed to have relied on casual work.

He had never officially worked as a courier. Investigators are examining whether he intended to flee abroad and whether he received instructions or assistance from others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as a "terrible murder" and offered condolences to Parubiy's family.

"All necessary forces and means are being deployed," Zelenskyy said in a statement.

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.

By Aghakazim Guliyev