Assailant in disguise as delivery driver shoots and kills high-ranking Ukrainian politician in daylight, leading to arrest of suspect

In a shocking development, Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy was murdered on Saturday in the city of Lviv. The 54-year-old parliamentarian was gunned down in the Sykhovsky district, according to reports.

The preliminary investigation suggests that the killing was carefully planned, with Parubiy's travel schedule and route mapped out, as well as an escape plan. The assassin, disguised as a delivery driver, fired about eight shots from a firearm at Parubiy and fled towards a forested area after the shooting.

Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko are leading the investigation into Parubiy's murder. The suspect, a 52-year-old resident of Lviv, was arrested two days after the assassination. He confessed to killing Parubiy out of "personal revenge against the Ukrainian authorities" due to the death of his son, a Ukrainian soldier, in the war. The suspect aims to exchange himself for prisoners of war and find his son's body.

The suspect has given an initial testimony, and urgent investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of the murder. The law enforcement team and the prosecutors are working around the clock to solve the case.

Parubiy served as parliamentary speaker from April 2016 to August 2019 and was secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council from February to August 2014. He was one of the leaders of protests in 2013 to 2014 calling for closer ties with the European Union. Former President Petro Poroshenko described Parubiy's murder as "a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine."

In a tragic twist, another Ukrainian politician, Andriy Portnov, was shot dead outside a school in a wealthy suburb of Madrid earlier this year. Portnov faced investigations in Ukraine over accusations of treason and embezzlement and was targeted with European Union sanctions. He left for Russia in 2014.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Parubiy's death on Saturday. The nation mourns the loss of a respected politician and expresses condolences to Parubiy's family and friends.

Assailant in disguise as delivery driver shoots and kills high-ranking Ukrainian politician in daylight, leading to arrest of suspect