Ukraine-Russia war latest: Politician Andriy Parubiy shot dead in Lviv after Moscow fires missiles and drones at Kyiv – UK Times

A manhunt has been launched to find an attacker who shot dead Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy, authorities have announced.

The suspect reportedly fled the scene on an electric bike and had been dressed as a delivery person.

Andriy Parubiy, 54, who previously served as the parliament speaker, was a key figure in the two pro-democracy revolutions in Ukraine this millennium.

Hailing from Lviv Oblast, the politician was a member of ex-President Petro Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party.

He participated in the Orange Revolution in 2004 and led self-defence volunteer units during the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2013-2014.

After the ousting of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, Parubiy was appointed National Security and Defense Council secretary. He held that position from February to August 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea and launched its war in Donbas.

He then became first deputy parliament speaker until 2016 and later the speaker until 2019.

Iryna Herashchenko, a lawmaker from the European Solidarity party, said in a statement published on the party’s Facebook page: “Our team is shocked. This is terror.

“Andriy was one of the founders of the modern Ukraine… principled and decent, patriotic, intelligent.”

Ukrainian media is reporting that the attacker who killed Andriy Parubiy approached the politician dressed as a delivery courier, firing multiple shots before riding away on an electric bicycle.

Seven shell casings were found at the crime scene, law enforcement sources told Suspilne.

Authorities reportedly received an emergency call at around noon, attending the scene in Lviv’s southern Frankivskyi city district, the police said.

Ukrainian MP Andriy Parubiy has reportedly been shot dead in the western city of Lviv, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Pictures shared online appear to show the politician’s body on a street in Lviv.

We’ll bring you more developments on this story as it unfolds.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday its troops had taken control of the village of Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

The ministry said its forces had successfully carried out strikes with high-precision weapons on Ukrainian missile and aviation enterprises, as well as military airfields in Ukraine.

The Independent could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

Ukraine’s top diplomat Andrii Sybiha has accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of “mocking peace efforts” following another massive aerial attack across the country.

“Putin mocks peace efforts, deadlines, and proposals. Instead, he escalates terror.,” Mr Sybiha wrote on X.

Ukrainian military said on Saturday that it had struck Russian oil refineries in Krasnodar and Syzran overnight.

Kyiv’s military recorded multiple explosions and a fire at the Krasnodar oil refinery in Russia’s south, which produces 3 million tonnes of light petroleum products annually.

Russian authorities in Krasnodar said falling drone debris damaged one of the refinery’s units and a fire had broken out over an area measuring 300 square metres (3,230 square feet). That fire was later extinguished, authorities said.

There were no casualties, and employees were evacuated, authorities wrote on Telegram.

Russia’s defence ministry said it had downed 11 Ukrainian drones over the Krasnodar region overnight.

There was also a fire in the Syzran oil refinery area in Samara region, which had a processing capacity of 8.5 million tonnes per year before August, the Ukrainian military said.

Samara’s regional governor confirmed an attempt overnight to attack an industrial enterprise, but gave no further details.