Murder of MP Parubii: suspect's ex-wife says he and their fallen son were estranged

Tetyana Oliynyk - 2 September, 23:05

On the left is the suspect, and on the right is his son, Lemberg. Photo: hromadske, Slidstvo.info

Olena Cherninka, the ex-wife of the suspect in the murder of MP Andrii Parubii, has said that their son, who was killed in action in 2023, had a serious falling-out with his father because "one was a patriot and the other was not".

Source: Cherninka on Facebook

Details: Cherninka explained that she had raised Mykhailo-Viktor "Lemberg" Stselnikov on her own, having officially divorced her husband in 2000.

Quote: "My ex-husband and I separated in 1998 and officially divorced in 2000. I raised my son alone. Occasionally, his father would show up – like on the first day of school or for some significant event. He spoke to our son, but very rarely.

When Lemberg went to fight, they had a huge row. And Lemberg blocked his father everywhere. Because one was a patriot, and the other was not. After my son’s death, I had to communicate with his father – documents, investigators, DNA, and so on. There was no friendship, no enmity. Our rare contacts were only about our missing son."

Details: Cherninka noted that the news from the court in the case of Andrii Parubii’s murder had shocked the family, adding that it is essential that the memory of Mykhailo should not be distorted in this situation.

Quote: "My son was a hero who was killed for Ukraine. He served in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv and volunteered for a transfer to Bakhmut, to the 93rd Brigade. To the hottest spot. He reached the rank of lance corporal and headed a reconnaissance platoon unit. And he died as a hero. Heroes never die!"

Background:

On 30 August, Andrii Parubii, MP and former Chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, was murdered in Lviv.
The Prosecutor General's Office reported that an unknown man had fired several shots at the politician, killing him instantly. The attacker fled the scene. A special police operation codenamed Siren was launched in the city to locate and apprehend the murderer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on the night of 31 August-1 September that a suspect had been detained. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that the suspect was arrested in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.
At a briefing on 1 September, law enforcement officials said that they had not ruled out any lines of inquiry in the case of the murder of Andrii Parubii, but had identified a Russian link as the priority.
The suspect admitted his guilt in a conversation with journalists, said his actions had been "revenge on the Ukrainian authorities" and denied reports that Russian secret services had been blackmailing him. The suspect also stated that he expects a speedy verdict for him so that he can be exchanged for prisoners of war and find his son's body.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!