A man charged with the murder of a notable pro-Western Ukrainian politician confessed on Tuesday to committing the crime, but claimed he did so independently and without any ties to Russia.

“This was a personal act of revenge against the Ukrainian leadership,” stated the accused, Mykhailo Stselnikov, in a video shared by Ukrainian media outlets. “I acknowledge that I killed him.” When asked if he collaborated with Russian intelligence, he responded, “No.”

Stselnikov, 52, was taken into custody late Sunday for allegedly shooting Andriy Parubiy, a former speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, in Lviv, located in the west of the country. Surveillance footage reportedly captured the suspect, dressed as a courier, firing several shots before fleeing.

Parubiy was a prominent leader in Ukraine’s pro-European protests in 2004 and 2014. Russian state media reported that he was listed as wanted by Moscow in 2023.

On Monday, Ukrainian police stated that the attack was “meticulously orchestrated” and suggested a connection to Russia, though no specifics were provided. President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized the murder as “appalling.”

Since the beginning of Russia’s extensive invasion in 2022, both Russian and Ukrainian officials have accused one another of orchestrating the assassinations of political and military figures.