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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
“Yes, I shot, I killed”: Stselnikov gave a statement in court in the case of Parubiy’s murder
Today, 12 October, the Frankivskyi District Court of Lviv continued examining evidence in the case of Mykhailo Stselnikov. The accused in the killing of Andriy Parubiy confirmed that the weapons caches contained his gun.
This was reported by the Suspilne correspondent from the courtroom.
The hearing began at 11:36. Present in the courtroom were the defendant Mykhailo Stselnikov, his lawyer Viktor Ponomarenko, prosecutor Taras Kovalchuk, the deceased’s wife Ulyana Parubiy, and the victims’ lawyer Yurii Zoshii.
After completing testimony at the previous hearing, the court returned to examining the evidence. First they played a video recording of experts from the Lviv Research Forensic Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine examining parts of a disassembled electric bicycle that, according to the investigation, the defendant used on the day of the crime and then threw into a body of water. In the footage from 31 August 2025, you can see specialists collecting swabs from the saddle and other areas.
Specialists taking swabs from the handlebars of the electric bicycle. Suspilne Lviv
While watching the video, Mykhailo Stselnikov said he saw no point in spending time viewing it.
“You’re just stealing the state’s money. The guys (the National Guard, — ed.) need to be paid, the lawyers need to be paid. I don’t understand what more you need me to say? Yes, I shot! What else? How long can you go over nothing? Yes, I shot, I killed (...) It would have been easier for you to ask me if this bike is yours. Yes, it’s mine. Did I ride it? Yes, I did. Watching, wasting time... I don’t understand,” the defendant emphasized.
His lawyer added that he and his client do not understand why the defense insists on reviewing these videos.
The judge responded that the Criminal Procedure Code sets the procedure for examining evidence, so regardless of whether that procedure is short or long, the court must follow it. Ulyana Parubiy added that she is exercising her legal rights.
After that they moved on to the protocol of the scene examination from 11 September 2025. The prosecutor read that that day, in the Mayorivka forest area in Lviv, in the root pit of a fallen tree, they found a camouflaged cache with weapons and ammunition. It was covered with trash, including vodka bottles, branches, and leaves.
“Using a trowel, specialists removed layers of soil, under which they found a G-shaped bundle tightly wrapped with gray adhesive tape. Under the layer of tape was a blue polyethylene bag containing two packets. Opening the inner packets revealed an item externally resembling a dark-colored Makarov-type firearm with dark burgundy grip panels and threaded attachments for reducing the sound of a shot. Separately found was an item of cylindrical black shape, visually resembling a suppressor for reducing firing noise, without identifying marks. The pistol’s serial number was rubbed off. At the time of the inspection the pistol was in a firing state with the safety removed,” read Taras Kovalchuk.
Photos of the weapon were shown to the defendant. He confirmed that it was his pistol. Mykhailo Stselnikov clarified that he recognized it by the extended nonstandard barrel meant for a suppressor and by the bag it was wrapped in.
After that Taras Kovalchuk read the site inspection protocol at Lychakiv Cemetery. According to the investigation materials, another cache was found approximately 5-7 meters from the grave of Mykhailo Ivanovych Stselnikov, behind the grave marker of a woman. There they found a disassembled hunting weapon.
The defendant commented that this was his weapon, but that he did not have a permit for it and does not remember where he got it; he hid it in the cemetery because it was “convenient”.
The prosecutor also reported that because of the defendant’s words about a weapon in the lake, an examination of the waterbody took place over several days, and as a result a rusty pistol was found in the water. Mykhailo Stselnikov said that that pistol is not his. According to him, it’s a coincidence, and the barrel probably remained there from someone in “the criminal world.”
Because of problems playing the video, the court announced a recess until 14 October. The next hearing will begin at 11:00.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "«Так, я стріляв, я вбив»: Сцельніков зробив заяву в суді у справі про вбивство Парубія". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.
