Kyiv [Ukraine], August 31 : Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Parubiy was fatally shot in what authorities describe as a "carefully planned" attack in the western city of Lviv on Saturday, with the suspect remaining at large, as reported by CNN.
According to CNN, citing the police, Parubiy was struck multiple times with a short-barreled firearm.
The assailant, who fled the scene, has yet to be identified but is believed to have been "thoroughly prepared" for the targeted killing.
Parubiy, a sitting member of Ukraine's parliament and former speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, died before emergency services could reach him, head of the Lviv region military administration, Maksym Kozitskiy, confirmed, CNN reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the killing as a "horrendous murder", echoing law enforcement's assessment that the act was deliberate and premeditated.
"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 are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer," Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also expressed deep shock at the murder and extended her condolences to Parubiy's family and the Ukrainian people.
"Deeply shocked by the terrible murder of the former Chairman of the @verkhovna_rada, Andrii Parubii, in Lviv. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends," she stated in a post on X.
Parubiy, 54, had been active in Ukrainian politics since the early 1990s, co-founding the Social-National Party of Ukraine in 1991 before later distancing himself from the group. He served in the Ukrainian parliament from 2007 until his death, CNN reported.
As per CNN, he played a significant role in Ukraine's political uprisings, including the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013-14 Maidan protests.
During the latter, he led operations in Kyiv's Independence Square, becoming a key figure in the movement that led to the ouster of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, CNN reported.
Parubiy later served as Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council for Ukraine in 2014 and was known for championing national identity policies, including the 2019 language law mandating Ukrainian as the official language in many public domains, as reported by CNN.
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko also reacted strongly, describing the perpetrators as "monsters" who target Ukraine's patriots.
"This crime--it's not just shots at a person. It's shots at the Army. It's a shot at the Language. It's a shot at the Faith. It's a shot in the heart of Ukraine," Poroshenko stated in a post on X.
"I express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones. Ukraine has lost a great son, but his cause will live on as long as our state lives. This is an act of terror, and it is the honor of the special services and law enforcement to find and punish the guilty and those involved. Eternal memory and eternal glory to Andriy Parubiy. Heroes do not die... Glory to Ukraine!" he added.