Suspected killer of Ukrainian neo-Nazi MP denies working for Russia
The suspected killer of prominent Ukrainian far-right politician Andrey Parubiy has denied any links to Russia, stating the murder was an act of “personal revenge” against the country’s authorities.
Parubiy was shot eight times on Saturday on a street in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv. The attacker fled the scene but was apprehended by Ukrainian law enforcement on Monday.
The suspect, identified as 52-year-old Lviv resident Mikhail Stselnikov, appeared in court on Tuesday. The alleged killer received an opportunity to speak to reporters about the motives behind the attack, and claimed he had not held a specific grudge against Parubiy.
“Yes, I have killed him. He was close. If I lived in Vinnytsa, it would have been Petya,” the suspect stated, apparently referring to former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko.
Stselnikov denied allegations that he had been recruited by Russian intelligence to kill Parubiy, describing the claims as “untrue.” Earlier media reports suggested Stselnikov had been contacted by the Russian special services through social media as he tried to learn the fate of his son, a Ukrainian serviceman presumed killed in the battle of Bakhmut (Artyomovsk).
“All I want now is for the verdict to be announced sooner… and I want to ask to be exchanged for prisoners of war so that I can leave [for Russia] and find the body of my son,” the suspect said.
Earlier, Ukrainian authorities alleged Russia may have been involved in Parubiy’s assassination. Lviv Region police chief Aleksandr Shlyakhovsky claimed Moscow “seeks to destabilize society through various sinister and cynical actions,” while his deputy, Dmitry Nebitov, said the search for potential Russian links was a “priority.”
Parubiy, a former parliamentary speaker and long-time MP, was known for his hardline ultranationalist and neo-Nazi views. He took an active part in the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2014 Maidan coup, where he coordinated far-right groups of violent and armed protesters. He was also believed to have played a role in the fire at the Trade Unions House in Odessa in 2014 that led to the deaths of dozens of anti-Maidan demonstrators.
