Zelensky posthumously awarded a defender of Bakhmut whose father is suspected of murdering Parubiy

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, posthumously awarded Senior Sergeant Mykhailo-Viktor Stselnikov the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky III degree for defending Bakhmut. The service member was the son of Mykhailo Stselnikov, who is suspected in the killing of former Verkhovna Rada head Andriy Parubiy. This is reported by Hlavkom, citing presidential decree No. 1063/2026 from 26 October.

According to the document, the defender was noted for personal courage in defending Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for selfless fulfillment of military duty.

What is known about the awarded defender

Mykhailo-Viktor Stselnikov served in reconnaissance with the 3rd Mechanized Battalion 93 of the 5th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Khodnyi Yar.” In the spring 2023 he turned 28 years old.

Initially, the serviceman had the call sign “Lviv,” but later comrades began to call him “Lemberg.” It was under this name that he became known among the defenders of Bakhmut.

19 of May 2023 during fighting for the city the serviceman received a severe injury. According to his mother, due to intense Russian shelling his fellow soldiers could not evacuate him.

As of September 2025, Mykhailo-Viktor Stselnikov was officially listed as missing in action. The decree on posthumous awarding confirms that the state recognized him as a fallen defender.

Before the full-scale invasion, Mykhailo-Viktor worked in IT. A day before the start of the large war, he registered a petition calling for a visa regime with Russia.

After his disappearance, his mother, Lviv writer Olena Cherninka, dedicated a book to her son, “Lemberg,” which was published in 2024.

What the mother of the serviceman told about his father

The family’s story drew public attention after the murder of MP Andriy Parubiy in Lviv 30 August 2025.

Among suspicions of the crime, law enforcement detained Mykhailo Stselnikov — the father of the fallen serviceman.

After his detention, the man told journalists that he would like to go to Russia as part of an exchange in order to find his son’s body.

However, the former wife of the suspect, Olena Cherninka, publicly refuted the notion of close ties between father and son.

According to her, she raised Mykhailo-Viktor on her own. When the young man decided to go defend Ukraine, a conflict arose between him and his father over differing views.

Cherninka said that her son even blocked his father, and contact between the former spouses was restored only after news of the serviceman’s disappearance.

What is known about the Parubiy case

Andriy Parubiy was shot on 30 August 2025 in Lviv. Two days later, law enforcement detained the suspect Mykhailo Stselnikov.

In discussions with journalists, the man admitted involvement in the murder and called his actions revenge against the Ukrainian authorities.

At the same time, these statements do not replace a court verdict. The final legal assessment of his actions must be given by a court.

As a reminder, earlier Hlavkom published the investigation “The Fake Drama of Parubiy’s Killer.” In it, reporters detailed Mykhailo-Viktor Stselnikov’s combat path, his last days in Bakhmut, and his relationship with his father.

Also, Hlavkom wrote about the first public statement by Olena Cherninka after the detention of her former husband. The woman emphasized that her son had his own beliefs and chose the path of defending Ukraine on his own.

Additionally, the publication examined the circumstances of the Parubiy murder investigation and the reasons for restricting access to materials of the criminal case.