Weapon used to kill Ukrainian MP Parubii not yet found
The weapon used to kill Andrii Parubii, an MP and former chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), in Lviv on 30 August has not yet been found.
Source: Oleksii Umanets, Deputy Head of Lviv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office, as reported by Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian Service
Quote: "The search for the weapon is ongoing. At present, investigators are working in the areas indicated by the murder suspect. He has not changed his testimony. He indicates more than one location, the search continues. He does not name the specific place where he did it [discarded the weapon – ed.], it is a forested area."
Details: Eight shell casings were found at the crime scene. Four bullets struck the politician’s body.
Case files state that during a search of the suspect’s flat, law enforcement discovered ammunition, military insignia, two pyrotechnic devices, 50 cartridge cases and 85 containers designed for plastic cartridge cases. Officers additionally seized sheets containing extracts from legislation, several flash drives, mobile phones, 33 orders and medals from the USSR and Ukraine, as well as 25 badges and metal stars.
The 52-year-old suspect, Mykhailo Stselnikov, has been remanded in custody for 60 days without the right to bail.
Background:
- On 30 August, Parubii 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 had been 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 Parubii, but had identified a Russian link as the priority.
- Radio Liberty reported that the suspect confessed during initial questioning and disclosed his contact with Russian representatives.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!