He was in the same unit as Parubiy: details about the fighter whom the media linked to the politician’s murder
2 September 22:12
Soldier Mykhailo-Viktor with the call sign “Lemberg”, whose father journalists call Mykhailo Stselnikov, a suspect in the murder of Andriy Parubiy, served with the former parliamentarian in the same military unit. MP Mykola Kniazhytskyi wrote about this on his Facebook page, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The politician said that “Lemberg” and a group of Lviv residents came to the 206th separate territorial defense battalion to serve as volunteers.
“All of us – the EU MPs (European Solidarity party – ed.) – signed up at the beginning. Andriy Parubiy was also there. His photo in uniform with weapons at checkpoints has been around since then,” Kniazhytskyi wrote.
He also questioned the media reports that the father of the military Lemberg is Mykhailo Scelnikov, who is suspected of murdering MP Andriy Parubiy.
The story of a desperate father who wants to find his son is strange, and here’s why. I know the mother of the ‘Lemberg’, Mykhailo, who went missing. She is a famous writer and photographer. She collaborates with Espresso. Both Mykhailo and his mother Olena are patriots of Ukraine. As is Khrystyna Parubiy, Andriy’s niece, who has presented a book about Lemberg and events in his honor on Espresso more than once. “And yes, she and Andriy Parubiy were in the same unit at the beginning of the war,” explained Kniazhytskyi.
Knyazhytskyi also found it strange that little is known about Lemberg’s biological father: he left the family 27 years ago.
He had a second child in his second marriage, whom he also abandoned and had proceedings for non-payment of child support. Therefore, the story of a loving father is a fiction and a legend. But as a recruitment target and script, it’s perfect,” Knyazhytsky summarized.
As a reminder, 36 hours after the murder of Andriy Parubiy in Lviv, the police detained a suspect in the shooting of the politician in Khmelnytsky region. He was a 52-year-old Lviv resident Mykhailo Scelnikov, who had a son who was a soldier. He confessed to the crime immediately.
He said that in 2023, he learned from his son’s comrades-in-arms that he had gone missing in the Bakhmut direction. After that, he began monitoring Russian social media to find more information about his son’s fate. Later, he began to communicate with representatives of the Russian Federation, who convinced the man that his son was dead.
Parubiy was targeted for murder almost by accident. The Russians demanded that a prominent politician be killed in exchange for the return of his son’s body. Scelnikov then mentioned the name of the former speaker of parliament. He said he knew him.
The Russian special services did not give him money to live on – he got by with temporary jobs, but they gave him money to prepare for the murder. The shooter bought a getaway car using the documents of a missing Ukrainian soldier, which he received from the Russians. After the crime, the killer spent the night in his apartment in Lviv, and then drove towards Khmelnytsky region, where Russians found him an apartment.
On Tuesday, September 2, Ukrainian media and Telegram channels reported that Mykhailo Stselnikov was the father of Ukrainian soldier Mykhailo Viktor, who defended the country under the call sign Lemberg.
This was also confirmed by Iryna Rybakova, a press officer of the 3rd mech battalion of the 93rd Brigade, to Slidstvo.info. It was there that “Lemberg” performed combat missions as a scout.
Read also: Parubiy’s murder: the case was reclassified and new details about the shooter’s son were revealed
Who is Mykhailo-Victor “Lemberg”?
The man is the only son of Olena Cherninko, a Lviv-based photographer and journalist, volunteer. She wrote a book about her son. They chose his call sign for the title.
It was an attempt by the mother to preserve the memory of her son, who is officially missing. The book combines personal memories, letters, social media posts, and reflections on the first days of the war, her son’s voluntary choice to go to the front, and his short service on the front line. Cherninko’s book was once recommended by the former commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.
In civilian life, Mykhailo worked for the IT company TurnKey Lender in Lviv. Shortly before the full-scale invasion, he filed a petition for the introduction of a visa regime with Russia, which did not receive enough votes.
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When the “great war” began, he volunteered to fight. Then he served in the 93rd Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar”. In May 2023, he was killed near Bakhmut. His body could not be evacuated due to intense fighting. He is considered missing.
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