Accra: Ukrainian police said on Monday, they were following an initial lead over Russian involvement in the weekend assassination of former Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy, in the western city of Lviv.

According to Ghana News Agency, Andriy Nyebytov, head of the Ukrainian criminal police, stated in a statement that they are primarily investigating a Russian lead, suspecting a contract killing orchestrated by the Russian Federation. Nyebytov emphasized that other avenues are being pursued and conclusions will be drawn only after the investigations are complete. He mentioned that the crime was meticulously planned, with preparations lasting over a month.

Ukraine's SBU intelligence service supports the theory of Russian involvement. SBU Lviv head Vadim Onishchenko noted that the crime bears the characteristics of a contract killing and mentioned having operative information suggesting involvement by Russian intelligence services.

A 52-year-old man from Lviv was detained in the western city of Khmelnytskyi on Sunday in connection with Parubiy's assassination, which occurred in broad daylight. The former parliamentary speaker and current member of parliament was shot several times on the street on Saturday.

Parubiy served as speaker between 2015 and 2019 and was known for organizing the pro-Western protests in 2013-14, known as the Euromaidan, which led to the fall of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. He was recognized as a staunch opponent of any compromise in the war with Russia and had survived an assassination attempt in December 2014.