Former Yanukovych Adviser Andriy Portnov Reportedly Shot Dead in Spain

On the morning of May 21, politician Andriy Portnov was shot and killed near a private school in Madrid. Spanish police are not ruling out the possibility of a contract killing, Orda.kz reports.

Portnov, a former adviser to ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and one of the key figures in his administration, was fatally shot outside the American School in Pozuelo de Alarcon around 9:15 a.m., reportedly while dropping off his children.

According to Reuters, the assailant approached on a motorcycle, fired five shots — four to the chest and one to the head — and fled the scene.

Some sources suggest there may have been two or three attackers, although this has not been confirmed.

Spanish authorities have yet to officially identify the victim, but media outlets including El País, Reuters, and Cadena SER have named Portnov.

Portnov served as a legal adviser and deputy head of the presidential administration from 2011 to 2014, overseeing judicial affairs. After the 2014 change of government in Ukraine, he left the country and lived in Austria before relocating to other EU states.

He briefly returned to Kyiv in 2019 but departed again in mid-2022.

Since 2021, Portnov has been under U.S. sanctions as part of the Magnitsky Act, accused of corruption and interfering in court proceedings. He was also linked to multiple investigations, including cases related to the Euromaidan protests. 

Although placed on a Ukrainian wanted list in 2015, the search was later cancelled.

At the time of his death, Portnov had been residing in Spain and working as a private lawyer. Authorities are exploring multiple motives, including personal revenge and political retaliation.

Earlier, President Viktor Yanukovych — under whom Portnov served — was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for facilitating illegal border crossings and encouraging desertion.

This marked his second conviction; in 2019, he was sentenced to 13 years for treason.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov