Suspect in killing of former speaker of the Ukrainian parliament arrested
Volodymyr Zelensky said "The suspect has given his initial testimony" and urgent investigations are underway.
Andrii Parubii delivers his speech during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday the arrest of a suspect in the murder of former parliament speaker Andrii Parubii.
Parubii, 54, a leading figure in Ukraine's pro-European movements and speaker of parliament from 2016 to 2019, was shot dead on Saturday in the western Ukrainian city of Leopolis.
A statement from the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said Saturday's shooting had been carefully planned and backed Zelensky's version that it was intentional.
Zelenski claimed that Interior Minister, Igor Klimenko and the head of the security service, Vasil Maliuk informed him of the arrest of a suspect in the shooting.
"Thenecessary investigations are underway," Zelenski assured on social networks. "I thank our law enforcement for their swift and coordinated work."
n a later post, after speaking with chief prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko, Zelensky added,: "The suspect has given his initial testimony. Urgent investigations are underway to determine all the circumstances of this murder."
Klimenko posted on Telegram that dozens of police and security officers took part in the operation to detain the suspect.
"At the moment there won't be many details," he added. I will only say that the crime was prepared carefully: the schedule of the deceased's movements was studied, the route was plotted and an escape plan was worked out."
Wanted by the Kremlin
A historian by training, Parubii advocated in his youth for Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union and was a strong supporter of the Ukrainian language over Russian.
During the 2014 Maidan protests, he served as commander of the opposition self-defense forces.
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