Andriy Parubiy, a Ukrainian politician who previously served as the parliament speaker, has been shot dead in western city of Lviv, say officials.
Confirming the news, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X:
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.
We will update with more information as soon as possible.
Updated at 06.32 EDT
Key events
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Here is a summary of the key events from today’s live blog:
Andriy Parubiy, a Ukrainian politician who previously served as the parliament speaker, was shot dead in western city of Lviv on Saturday. Prosecutors have opened a murder investigation and said police were still searching for the shooter but have not mentioned possible motives at this stage.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned it as a “horrific murder” and said “all necessary forces and means” would be used in the investigation. By Saturday afternoon, tributes had come in from colleagues in Ukraine’s parliament and the government, praising Parubiy’s contribution to Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and independence.
Former president Petro Poroshenko said on Telegram that the killing of Parubiy, who was a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defence and intelligence, was “a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine”. Iryna Herashchenko, a lawmaker from the European Solidarity party, described Parubiy as “one of the founders of the modern Ukraine … principled and decent, patriotic, intelligent”.
In a statement on Telegram, foreign minister Andrii Sybiha described Parubiy as “a patriot and statesman” who “rightfully belongs in the history books”. Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko called for a prompt investigation of the murder, calling it “a profound loss” for the country.
One person was killed and 24 were injured, including three children, in Zaporizhzhia after a Russian strike on a five-story residential building. Regional governor Ivan Fedorov said the attack on Zaporizhzhia cut power to 25,000 residents.
The Ukrainian air force recorded five missile and 24 drone hits at seven locations with debris falling on 21 sites, according to a statement on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday.
Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region came under a “massive attack” early on Saturday, the region’s governor said, reporting strikes in Dnipro and Pavlograd. “The region is under a massive attack. Explosions are being heard,” Sergiy Lysak wrote on Telegram, warning residents to take cover. He said overnight Russian strikes killed two people in Dnipropetrovsk.
On Saturday, in a post on X, Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using “the time meant for preparing a leaders-level meeting to organise new massive attacks” and called for “tougher” banking and energy sanctions on Russia. He said Russia’s latest attack had shown its “utter disregard”.
Speaking after a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in the Danish capital Copenhagen, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she had asked EU governments to submit proposals next week for another package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
The chief of Russia’s general staff, Valery Gerasimov, said on Saturday that Russian forces were conducting non-stop offensives along the entire frontline in Ukraine. Since March, Russia has captured more than 3,500 square km (1,351 square miles) of territory in Ukraine and taken control of 149 villages, Gerasimov added.
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 and said there was also a fire in the Syzran oil refinery area in Samara region.
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.
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. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are among the world leaders who will attend a military parade with President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week, in a show of collective defiance amid western pressure. Against the backdrop of China’s growing military might during the Victory Day parade on 3 September, the three leaders will project a major show of solidarity.
The Russian defence ministry said it had shot down 20 Ukrainian drones, including 18 over Moscow-annexed Crimea, between 4am and 8am GMT on Saturday. The other two drones were shot down over Russia’s western Smolensk region. In an earlier statement, Russia’s defence ministry said it had destroyed 86 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday. Reuters could not independently confirm the reports.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met the families of soldiers killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine and offered condolences for their “unbearable pain”, state media said on Saturday. Pyongyang has not confirmed the number of its soldiers that died fighting for Russia, though Seoul estimates it is about 600, with thousands more wounded.
Updated at 09.57 EDT
Speaking after a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in the Danish capital Copenhagen, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she had asked EU governments to submit proposals next week for another package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
A Russian overnight attack struck residential properties in Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine leaving at least one person dead, according to officials.
Footage released on Saturday by emergency services shows firefighters and paramedics fighting blazes in destroyed buildings and tending to residents:
Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region leaves dozens injured – video
ShareRussian troops waging offensives along entire Ukraine front line, says military chief
The chief of Russia’s general staff, Valery Gerasimov, said on Saturday that Russian forces were conducting non-stop offensives along the entire frontline in Ukraine, reports Reuters.
In an address to his deputies published by Zvezda, the official outlet of the defence ministry, Gerasimov also said that Russia now controls 99.7% of Ukraine’s Luhansk region, 79% of the Donetsk region, 74% of the Zaporizhzhia region and 76% of the Kherson region.
Since March, Russia has captured more than 3,500 square km (1,351 square miles) of territory in Ukraine and taken control of 149 villages, Gerasimov added.
Ruslan Stefanchuk, the current Ukrainian parliament speaker, has described Andriy Parubiy as a “consistent defender of Ukrainian statehood”, according to the Kyiv Independent.
In a post on Facebook, translated in to English by the publication, Stefanchuk wrote:
On behalf of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, I express my condolences to Andrii’s family and friends.
Here are some more images coming in from Zaporizhzhia today via the newswires:
People clean up debris at destroyed bus stop and store after a Russian drone-and-missile attack on Saturday in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Photograph: Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images A firefighter extinguishes a fire at a destroyed building after a Russian attack, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Photograph: Global Images Ukraine/Getty ImagesAs a result of the Russian shelling, in Zaporizhzhia one person was killed and 28 were injured, including three children. Several fires broke out in the city, and residential buildings were damaged. Photograph: Global Images Ukraine/Getty ImagesShare
Reuters has a bit more background on the Ukrainian former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy who was shot dead in Lviv on Saturday.
Parubiy, 54, was a member of parliament and was parliamentary speaker from April 2016 to August 2019. He was one of the leaders of protests in 2013-14 calling for closer ties with the European Union.
He was also secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council from February to August 2014, a period when fighting began in eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula.
Andriy Parubiy, who at the time was Ukrainian parliamentary speaker, pictured during a session of parliament in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2019. Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/ReutersShare
Updated at 08.15 EDT
Ukraine has now officially launched a murder investigation into the shooting of former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy.
In a statement, the office of the the prosecutor general of Ukraine said the shooter was being sought for the “intentional homicide” of the well-known 54-year-old politician.
ShareA shot fired at the heart of Ukraine, says former president
More tributes are coming in from colleagues in Ukraine’s parliament and the government, praising Parubiy’s contribution to Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and independence.
Former president Petro Poroshenko said on Telegram that the killing of Parubiy, who was a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defence and intelligence, was “a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine”.
He said:
Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take revenge, that is what they are afraid of.
In a statement on Telegram, foreign minister Andrii Sybiha described Parubiy as “a patriot and statesman who made an enormous contribution to the defence of Ukraine’s freedom, independence and sovereignty. He was a man who rightfully belongs in the history books”.
Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko called for a prompt investigation of the murder, calling it “a profound loss” for the country.
She said:
You always remained a patriot of Ukraine and made a great contribution to the formation of our state.
Updated at 09.08 EDT
Iryna Herashchenko, a lawmaker from the European Solidarity party, also confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that the victim of the shooting in Lviv was Andriy Parubiy.
According to the publication, Heraschenko said in a statement published on European Solidarity’s Facebook page (written in Ukrainian but translated into English by the online newspaper):
Our team is shocked. This is terror.
Andrii was one of the founders of the modern Ukraine … principled and decent, patriotic, intelligent.
Updated at 07.05 EDT
The Kyiv Independent reports that authorities received an emergency call at around noon after the shooting in Lviv’s southern Frankivskyi city district. Police said the victim had died at the scene.
According to the publication, officials have not commented on potential suspects or a possible motive.