Spain: Ukrainian ex-deputy Andriy Portnov murdered in Madrid

Former Ukrainian deputy sympathetic to Russia Andriy Portnov was assassinated in Madrid (Spain), outside the school where his children study. He was shot five times, Spanish authorities have reported.

The event occurred early in the morning (local time) on Wednesday. Portnov, 51, had just dropped off his children at the American School, located in the town of Pozuelo de Alarcón. Upon returning to his vehicle, he was assaulted by several attackers who shot him in the back and head.

“The victim was shot several times while preparing to get into a vehicle. Multiple individuals fired at his back and head before fleeing the scene toward a wooded area,” police sources detailed, in statements picked up by AFP.

Subsequently, the Spanish Interior Ministry and the National Police released the identity of the victim.

The police investigation is already underway and no hypothesis is being ruled out. One of the motives being studied is that it was a settling of scores, according to the authorities.

In addition to being a deputy in the Ukrainian Parliament from 2006 to 2010, Portnov served as head of the Main Justice Department during the government of Viktor Yanukovych between 2010 and 2014.

In 2021, the United States sanctioned Portnov for corruption. According to AFP, the Treasury Department (DOT) cultivated "deep connections to Ukraine's judicial apparatus and law enforcement through bribery," accusing him of "using his influence to buy access to Ukrainian courts and influence their decisions, as well as sabotaging reform efforts."