Pro-Western Ukrainian politician shot dead

A former speaker of the Ukrainian parliament has been shot dead in Lviv.

Authorities said the gunman fired several shots at Andriy Parubiy, 54, killing him on the spot in the western city. A manhunt has been launched for the attacker, who fled the scene, but police have released no information on the killer's identity or motives.

Follow live Ukraine war updates: US giving Ukraine 'deeper strike capabilities' Mr Parubiy, a pro-Western politician, was one of the leaders of the protests in 2013-14 which called for closer ties with the EU and brought down the pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovych. He was also secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council from February to August 2014, a period when fighting began in eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula.

Officials gave no immediate indication whether the murder had any direct link to Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne cited sources who said the attacker was dressed as a delivery rider and used an electric bicycle.

Pictures of the scene and a video purporting to show the shooting have been published by local media. Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered his condolences after what he called a "horrendous murder".

"All necessary forces and means are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer," he said in a post on X. Police said the shooting was reported at around noon local time.

Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi said finding the killer and establishing the circumstances of the attack was of utmost importance. "This is a matter of security in a country at war, where, as we can see, there are no completely safe places," he wrote on Telegram.

Tributes poured in, praising Mr Parubiy's contribution to Ukraine's fight for sovereignty and independence as one of the leaders of what became known as the Euromaidan protests in 2013-14. Former president Petro Poroshenko said on Telegram that the killing was "a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine".

"Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take revenge, that is what they are afraid of," he said.

Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha described Mr Parubiy, who was parliamentary speaker from April 2016 to August 2019, as "a patriot and statesman". "He was a man who rightfully belongs in the history books," he said in a tribute on Telegram.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko called for a prompt investigation of the murder, calling it "a profound loss" for the country. "You always remained a patriot of Ukraine and made a great contribution to the formation of our state," she wrote on X..