Andriy Parubiy: Prominent Ukrainian Politician Shot Dead, Zelensky Reacts
- On Saturday, August 30, gunmen reportedly assassinated the former speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Andriy Parubiy, in the western city of Lviv
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the incident in a terse statement he shared on his social media page
- Details surrounding Parubiy's alleged murder have surfaced as Zelensky described the incident as a "horrific murder"
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
In a tragic turn of events, Andriy Parubiy, a former Ukrainian speaker of parliament who was a leading figure in the country’s pro-European protest movements of 2004 and 2014 was reportedly shot dead on Saturday, August 30, in western Ukraine, officials said.
Source: Getty Images
Horrific murder - Zelensky reacts to ex-Ukrainian speaker's death
Parubiy, aged 54, who also previously served as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, was killed in the city of Lviv.
Reacting, Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelensky, condemned the development.
He described 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.
As reported by Times of India, police are still searching for the shooter.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have opened a murder probe but have not revealed any possible motives.
“An unidentified man fired several shots at the politician, killing Andriy Parubiy on the spot,” the prosecutor general’s office said.
Source: Getty Images
How Andriy Parubiy was killed
Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne cited anonymous sources saying the shooter was dressed as a delivery rider and was on an electric bike.
As of the time of filing this report, 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.
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In an interview, Trump revealed that the US will send weapons to Ukraine through the NATO alliance.
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As Trump mulls sanctions, Russia's military economy slows
Meanwhile, after three years of doom-defying growth, Russia's heavily militarised economy is slowing, facing a widening budget deficit and weak oil prices, all under the threat of more Western sanctions.
Huge spending on guns, tanks, drones, missiles and soldiers for the Ukraine campaign helped ensure Moscow bucked predictions of economic collapse after it launched its offensive in 2022.
"It is no longer possible to pull the economy along by the military-industrial complex alone," Natalia Zubarevich, an economist at Moscow State University, told AFP.
Source: Legit.ng
