Ukrainian politician Parubiy assasinated
Andriy Parubiy, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, was shot dead in broad daylight in Lviv on Saturday. He became a well-known figure in 2014 as commander of the Maidan self-defence forces and served as the Ukrainian parliament's chairman from 2016 to 2019. A local suspect was arrested a day and a half after the killing. Investigators now say there are indications that Russian intelligence services were involved.
His legacy lives on
Parubiy remains unforgotten in Ukraine because of his role in the Maidan uprising, Polityka writes:
“Parubiy's death shows that there are no safe places, because Lviv seemed safe, far from the war, as Ukrainian and anti-Russian as possible. But isn't that exactly what the Kremlin wants? To destroy this belief? You can kill a person, but not an idea. Parubiy's idea, his commitment to Ukraine, is gaining strength and can no longer be defeated, not anymore. Parubiy will forever remain a symbol of the Maidan, a tough, unyielding defender of Kyiv.”
All going according to plan for Russia
The incident fits in with the idea of a Russian destabilisation campaign, says Ukrainian military analyst Olexiy Kopytko in a Facebook post picked up by Echo:
“An assassination attempt on a statesman is political terrorism. Regardless of who turns out to be the perpetrator and what motive is cited, the consequences are not of an everyday nature but of a political one. At present, there are no facts pointing to Russian involvement. But Russia is trying to boost its political influence as much as possible because it hasn't been able to achieve the desired results on the front. ... Many of our fellow citizens are full of anger. The Russians will go to any lengths to channel this anger within the country.”
Weak counterintelligence
The politician's murder shows just how vulnerable Ukraine is to Russian intelligence activities, blogger Borys Kushniruk writes in Censor.net:
“We have grown used to associating the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] with successful operations in Russia. For us, its boss Vasyl Malyuk is like James Bond and MI6 rolled into one. Unfortunately, the reality is far more complex. Those responsible for operations abroad and counterintelligence at home are not the same people. When it comes to counterintelligence, the situation in our country is catastrophic - the number of failures is simply off the charts.”