Andriy Portnov was beforehand a senior aide to eliminated former President Viktor Yanukovych and had been the topic of US sanctions.
A Ukrainian former politician has been shot lifeless by unknown assailants exterior a college in Madrid, Spain, authorities mentioned.
The person was recognized by Spain’s Ministry of Inside as Andriy Portnov, who was beforehand a senior aide to Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych.
The assault on Wednesday morning befell exterior the gates of the American Faculty within the Spanish capital’s upscale neighbourhood of Pozuelo de Alarcon.
Police have been referred to as at about 9:15am (07:15 GMT) and notified {that a} man had been shot on the street.
Witnesses quoted by the police mentioned he was shot “a number of instances” within the head and physique by a couple of assailant. The attackers fled on foot, police mentioned.
Cops cordon off the world after an adviser to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was shot, exterior a college in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Could 21, 2025 (Paul White/AP Picture)
Luis Rayo, a 19-year-old who lives close to the varsity, mentioned he had been sleeping when he heard gunfire.
“I heard 5 bullets after which got here right here to see what occurred,” he informed The Related Press information company.
Portnov had been intently tied to Ukraine’s pro-Russian former chief Yanukovych, having served as deputy head of the presidential workplace from 2010 to 2014.
Throughout Yanukovych’s time in energy, Portnov was concerned in drafting laws geared toward persecuting individuals of the 2014 revolution in Ukraine.
Portnov and Yanukovych each fled Ukraine for Russia in 2014. Since then, Portnov has confronted investigations in Ukraine over allegations of treason and embezzlement, and was focused in 2015 with European Union sanctions, though these and the fees have been later dropped.
In 2021, the US Treasury Division mentioned he had “cultivated intensive connections to Ukraine’s judicial and legislation enforcement equipment by way of bribery”.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Spain has seen a number of high-profile crimes involving Russians and Ukrainians on its soil.
In 2022, six letter bombs have been despatched to targets round Spain, with a retired civil servant suspected of getting pro-Kremlin sympathies jailed over the marketing campaign.
In February 2024, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine together with his helicopter was fatally shot close to Alicante.
