Pre-trial restraint imposed on Parubiy's murder suspect: he pleads guilty

The suspect in the murder of the former Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, MP from European Solidarity Andriy Parubiy has been remanded in custody as a preventive measure. He pleaded guilty, reported from the courtroom to media hromadske.

The defendant was sent to custody for 60 days without the right to be released on bail.

The suspect himself, 52-year-old Lviv resident Mykhailo Scelnikov, did not object to this decision.

Prior to the hearing, he denied reports that he was blackmailed by Russian special services over the body of his deceased son. The defendant also denied that he had worked directly with the occupiers.

The suspect called his actions "revenge on the Ukrainian authorities." He did not answer the question about Parubiy being in the opposition.

The defendant also said that he expects a speedy sentence for himself so that he can be exchanged for prisoners of war and find his son's body.

When asked why he chose to kill Parubiy, he replied that the politician was "close by."

"If I lived in Vinnytsia, it would be Petya (probably referring to the fifth president of Ukraine) Petro Poroshenko. – Ed.)," the man said.

The defendant faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.

• One of Parubiy's most famous results as speaker is the adoption of the law on the functioning of the Ukrainian language in 2019.
• The politician was killed on August 30, 2025 in the Frankivsk district of Lviv – a man disguised as a courier fired at him about eight balls.
• Zelenskyy says that Parubiy's murder in Lviv was carefully prepared, and the investigators do not dismiss the Russian trace.
• On the night of September 1, law enforcement officers reported detention of a man, who was wanted for the murder of an MP. On the same day, the defendant announced suspicion – the man is charged with premeditated murder and illegal handling of weapons. The National Police stated that the preparation for the murder had been ongoing more than one month.
• On September 2, Parubiy's funeral takes place in Lviv.