Suspect in assassination of Ukrainian MP Parubiy faces life in prison

According to the investigation, the accused, 53-year-old Lviv resident Mykhailo Stselnikov, was recruited by Russian special services in 2024 while searching Telegram channels for information about his son, who went missing in the combat zone in Donetsk Oblast.

After his recruitment, he tracked and leaked the locations of Ukrainian Defense Forces to the Russians and attempted to gather data on the movement of railway cars carrying fuel.

Later, he was offered the task of assassinating a public figure. The SBU stated that Stselnikov chose Parubiy as his victim for ideological reasons.

After the murder, he attempted to destroy evidence and flee the country. During the investigation, a sawed-off hunting rifle, which Stselnikov had hidden in Lychakiv Cemetery for potential use in subversive activities, was found.

Investigators also determined that the man justified Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, denied Russian war crimes, and glorified the Russian army.

The suspect now faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property on five charges:

• Treason: Committed under martial law (Part 2 of Art. 111).
• Calls to overthrow the constitutional order: Public calls for the violent change and overthrow of the constitutional order using mass media (Part 3 of Art. 109).
• Assassination of a state official: An attempt on the life of a state official in connection with his state and public activities, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Art. 27, Part 2 of Art. 28, Art. 112).
• Illegal handling of weapons: Carrying, storing, and acquiring firearms and ammunition without a legal permit, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Art. 27, Part 2 of Art. 28, Part 1 of Art. 263).
• Glorification of Russian aggression: Glorification of persons who carried out the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and justification, recognition as lawful, or denial of the armed aggression (Parts 1, 3 of Art. 436-2).

The murder of Andriy Parubiy

Andriy Parubiy, a member of parliament and former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, was murdered in Lviv on August 30, 2025. The attacker fired approximately eight shots at the politician with a short-barreled firearm, killing Parubiy at the scene.

National Police Chief Ivan Vyhivskyi reported that the suspect, Mykhailo Stselnikov, had been preparing for the murder for a long time by tracking his victim. After the attack, he attempted to hide in Khmelnytskyi Oblast. According to Vyhivskyi, the crime was not random and has a "Russian trace."

On October 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posthumously awarded Parubiy the title of Hero of Ukraine.