Ex-wife of Parubiy’s killer refutes the version of a “desperate father”: he did not take part in his son’s life
3 September 2025 10:15
The ex-wife of Mykhailo Scelnikov, who confessed to the murder of politician Andriy Parubiy, Ukrainian writer Olena Chernyanka, reacted on social media to the detainee’s words that he allegedly wants to find the body of his son who died in Bakhmut, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
She reminded that her son Mykhailo-Victor, with the call sign “Lemberg,” was a real Ukrainian hero, he died in 2023, but the family never received his body.
At the same time, the mother of “Lemberg” who died in Bakhmut emphasized that she raised her son alone. The father did not take any part in Mykhailo’s life and did not maintain a close relationship with him. In addition, the son quarreled with his father after he went to war.
According to Cherninko, she and her husband actually separated in 1998, but officially in 2000.
“I want to clarify the situation. There is a flurry of information on the Internet. True and nonsensical. I divorced my ex-husband in 1998. And officially with a document – in 2000. I raised my son alone. Sometimes the father came to visit. For example, on September 1 to the first grade or to some significant event. He communicated with his son, but very rarely. When Lemberg went to war, they had a big fight. And Lemberg blocked his ancestor everywhere. Because one was a patriot and the other was not,” the woman said.
She had to communicate with Scelnikov after her son’s death, when it came to DNA, documents, etc. The writer claims that there was neither friendship nor enmity between them. The only communication they had was about her son’s disappearance.
“I raised Mykhailo-Victor to be a real man. You can read about this in my book, where there is no mention of my father. The news from the trial in the case of Andriy Parubiy’s murder shocked our family. It is important that the memory of Mykhailo is not distorted in this situation,” Chernenko added.
The mother reminded that her hero son died for Ukraine. “He went through Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and asked to join the 93rd Brigade in Bakhmut. He was a junior sergeant, a squad leader of a reconnaissance platoon. And he died like a hero.
“I would also add that the day before the full-scale invasion, namely on February 23, 2022, Lemberg registered a petition for the immediate introduction of a visa regime with Russia. It was never supported…” Chernenko said.
It should be noted that the court sent the man to a Lviv pre-trial detention center for 60 days without the right to be released on bail. The suspect himself did not object to this decision.
Guilty plea and motives
At the hearing, Scelnikov pleaded guilty and stated that his actions were “revenge against the Ukrainian authorities”. At the same time, he rejected reports of possible blackmail by Russian special services, emphasizing that he acted independently.
The suspect also expressed a desire to be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war in the future, as he said he wanted to find the body of his missing son.
When asked by the court why he chose Andriy Parubiy as a victim, Sselnikov replied: “He was nearby”.
He added that if he had lived in Vinnytsia, Petro Poroshenko could have been his target.
Classification of the crime
The Lviv resident was notified of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- ч. 1 of Article 115 – premeditated murder;
- ч. 1 of Art. 263 – illegal handling of weapons.
What is known about the murder
Former Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy was killed in Lviv on the afternoon of August 30. An unknown man fired about eight shots at the politician with a short-barreled firearm. Parubiy died on the spot from his wounds.
The attacker fled, and a special operation “Siren” was launched in the city. On the night of September 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the suspect had been detained.
According to the head of the National Police, Ivan Vyhivskyi, Scelnikov had been preparing for the crime in advance, tracking the politician’s movements and waiting for the right moment to attack. After the murder, he tried to hide in the Khmelnytsky region.
Vyhivskyi also stated that the crime was not accidental and that there was a “Russian trace” in the case.
