The son of a suspect in the murder of Andriy Parubiy has been killed at the front.
The results of a DNA examination have confirmed the identity of Mykhailo-Viktor Stselnikov, a serviceman of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar,” who went missing in May 2023 during fighting in Bakhmut.
The defender’s body was returned to Ukraine in August 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange, but identification has only now been completed. According to his mother, writer Olena Cherninka, the DNA match was 99.99%.
“Stop the search! On the shield! They’ve just called from the morgue… Mykhas will return to his native Lviv for burial in about two weeks,” she said.
Olena Cherninka also shared painful memories about the condition of her son’s body after the examination, noting that only bones remained. She remembers Mykhailo-Viktor as a successful, healthy man devoted to his homeland.
Mykhailo-Viktor Stselnikov volunteered to go to the front in 2022 and served in the reconnaissance unit of the 3rd Mechanized Battalion of the 93rd Brigade. He fought his last battle in Bakhmut.
Mykhailo-Viktor’s story gained particular resonance because of his father, who is suspected of murdering former Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Andriy Parubiy. The family stresses that neither the son nor his mother had any contact with the suspect for 27 years and urges people not to link Mykhailo-Viktor’s name with his father’s actions.
The fallen soldier’s mother dedicated a book to her son titled “Lemberg: Mamtsiu, Don’t Cry,” in which she describes the experience of a mother who lost her child during the war. The book tells of pain and hope, of memory and strength of spirit, reminding readers that life goes on even after irreparable loss.
Mykhailo-Viktor Stselnikov’s funeral will take place in Lviv in approximately two weeks.
At the front, 24-year-old drone operator Liliia Hekendorf from the Kirovohrad region was also killed.
More than 680 children have been killed in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s full-scale aggression.
It is worth noting that in 2025 the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine increased by 26%.
