Andriy Portnov, a former top aide to ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, was shot and killed Wednesday morning in Madrid, Spanish authorities said. Portnov, who was under US sanctions, was 51 years old.
A Spanish police source told AFP that Portnov was shot in the back and head by several attackers as he was about to get into a vehicle outside the American School of Madrid, in the upscale town of Pozuelo de Alarcón. The attackers reportedly fled into a nearby wooded area.
Emergency services arrived to find Portnov lying on the pavement with multiple gunshot wounds.
“We could only confirm the death of this person,” said Encarna Fernández, a spokeswoman for Madrid’s emergency services. She said Portnov had been shot at least three times.
Spanish media reported that Portnov had just dropped off his children at the school when the attack occurred. Police cordoned off the area, and forensics teams were seen examining a black Mercedes at the scene. The victim’s body was covered with a blue sheet.
Portnov was born in Ukraine’s Luhansk region and worked as a lawyer before entering politics. In 2006, he was elected to Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.
From April 2010 to the end of February 2014, Portnov served as head of the main department for the judicial system in the Presidential Administration of Viktor Yanukovych. He was later appointed deputy head of the administration, and from January 24, 2014, he held the position of first deputy head.
Portnov left Ukraine in early 2015 and lived abroad for several years. In 2018, he briefly led the pro-Russian Ukrainian TV channel NewsOne.
In 2019, he returned to Ukraine and voiced support for then-presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky, who was later elected president. After Zelensky’s victory, Portnov filed multiple legal complaints against former President Petro Poroshenko, accusing him of criminal actions while in office.
In June 2022, investigative journalists from “Schemes” reported that Portnov left Ukraine again, crossing the border through the Transcarpathian checkpoint at Chop (Tisa).
The United States imposed sanctions on Portnov in December 2021 under the Magnitsky Act. US officials accused him of using bribes to gain influence over Ukraine’s judicial and law enforcement systems and manipulate court decisions. The sanctions list targets individuals involved in serious corruption and human rights violations.