Parubii, who was 54 at the time of his death, was a long-time lawmaker from Lviv Oblast who participated in the Orange Revolution in 2004 and led self-defense volunteer units during the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2013-2014.

After the ousting of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in the wake of EuroMaidan, Parubii was appointed secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. He held the position between February and August 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea and initiated the war in Donbas.

His role as the National Security and Defense Council secretary at the onset of Moscow‘s aggression made him a common target of Russian propaganda and disinformation.