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Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Portnov family bought Dubai properties worth over $2 million, media investigation says
The family of late Andriy Portnov, a former top aide to ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, acquired more than $2 million worth of real estate in Dubai during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an investigative report by Schemes, a project by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has revealed on June 2. According to property records leaked from Dubai's Land Department and state-owned utilities, verified in collaboration with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Le Monde, six properties were purchased in 2022–2023 by Portnov's civil partner, Anastasiia Valiaieva, and his daughter, Liliia Portnova. As of mid-2025, five of the properties remain under their ownership. The first known purchase was made by Portnova in October 2022, when she bought a 69-square-meter apartment in Sobha Hartland One Park Avenue for around $320,000. Property acquisitions reportedly accelerated in mid-2023, with Portnova and Valiaieva investing in multiple new developments, including Sobha Hartland Waves Opulence and Creek Vista Heights, spending between $132,000 and $600,000 per unit. One property — an apartment in Sobha Hartland Waves Opulence valued at over $600,000 — is still under construction and slated for completion in September 2025. Another, in Creek Vista Heights, worth more than $550,000, is expected to be completed in 2026. Despite owning these high-end assets, Schemes found no public records indicating current business activity for either woman. Valiaieva previously owned a company called Vasilisa Group, formerly known as Portnov Group and linked to Portnov himself, but he ceased to be listed as its owner in 2020. Journalists were also able to confirm that Valiaieva has held Russian citizenship since 2014 and that Portnova is a Swiss national. In April 2024, Portnov transferred ownership of a luxury estate outside Kyiv to his children through a notarized deed of gift. The document, obtained by Schemes, shows that the transaction was conducted by Valiaieva on behalf of their children. A Ukrainian notary certified the deed, while a lawyer who previously represented Portnov in court, Marina Parinova, acted on his behalf using a power of attorney notarized in Madrid. Neither Portnova nor Valiaieva responded to requests for comment from Schemes, nor did attorneys previously associated with Portnov. The revelations come around two weeks after Portnov was shot dead in Madrid on May 21. Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed his death to the Kyiv Independent. Spanish media outlets said Portnov was shot at five times, with at least three bullets striking his head and torso. No arrests have been made. Portnov, 51, was a central figure in the Yanukovych administration from 2010 to 2014 and was sanctioned by the United States in 2021 over allegations of corruption and judicial manipulation. After fleeing Ukraine following the 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, he resided in Russia and Austria, returning to Ukraine in 2019. He fled again in June 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion began. Known as one of the most litigious ex-officials in Ukraine, Portnov sued several media outlets, including the Kyiv Independent, over reports labeling him "pro-Russian." He won a defamation case in a Kyiv court in 2024. His influence extended into the media as well: he briefly headed the pro-Russian TV channel NewsOne in 2018. A 2020 UkraineWorld report accused Portnov of using online bots to discredit the EuroMaidan Revolution and Ukraine's pro-European reforms. Read also: Hated, tainted, and covertly pro-Russian — Andriy Portnov, the top Ukrainian ex-official shot dead in Spain We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Portnov reportedly met controversial Zelensky staffer, Ukraine's investigations chief before being killed in Madrid
Former Ukrainian top official Andriy Portnov met in Ukraine with Oleh Tatarov, deputy head of the Presidential Office, and Oleksii Sukhachov, director of the State Bureau of Investigation, days before he was killed in Madrid, Ukrainska Pravda reported on May 29, citing undisclosed sources. Portnov was shot dead by unidentified attackers outside the American School in Madrid on May 21. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that two or three people are believed to be involved in the attack, though no arrests have been made so far, and the motive remains unclear. Portnov served in the administration of pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych between 2010 and 2014. After the EuroMaidan Revolution, he lived alternately abroad and in Ukraine and was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2021 over allegations that he was involved in corruption. Four sources confirmed to Ukrainska Pravda that Portnov was in Ukraine between May 17 and 18 and held meetings with senior officials overseeing Ukraine's law enforcement agencies, including Tatarov and Sukhachov. The sources said they were unaware of the topics discussed. Tatarov is the most controversial official in President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration. He was charged with bribery before joining the administration, but the corruption case against him was obstructed by law enforcement agencies and courts and eventually closed. According to the media outlet's sources, Portnov has recently been seeking ways to have U.S. sanctions against him lifted. He also reportedly gathered information on the activities of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and civil society activists in Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent submitted official requests for comment to the Presidential Office and the State Bureau of Investigation but did not receive an immediate response. Portnov led the legal team of then-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko from 2005 to 2010 and sat in the parliament between 2006 and 2010. After 2010, he became the head of Yanukovych's main judiciary department and deputy head of his administration. The ex-official left Ukraine for Russia and later Austria after Yanukovych was ousted in the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014, but returned to Ukraine in 2019. Portnov fled Ukraine again in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion broke out, even though the travel ban for military-age men was already in effect. Read also: Hated, tainted, and covertly pro-Russian — Andriy Portnov, the top Ukrainian ex-official shot dead in Spain We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Controversial ex-official Portnov visited Ukraine days before being killed in Madrid, news outlet reports
Andriy Portnov, a former top official in ex-President Viktor Yanukovych's administration, visited Ukraine just days before he was shot dead in Madrid on May 21, the news outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported on May 23, citing unnamed sources. According to three interlocutors with knowledge of Portnov's movements — including sources in law enforcement and his inner circle — he was in Ukraine on May 17-18 and reportedly met with top law enforcement officials. Portnov, a lawyer and longtime political operative, was shot at least five times outside the American School in Madrid. Two or three individuals are believed to have taken part in the killing. Citing police sources, El Pais reported that Portnov was hit by at least three bullets, including one to the head, which proved fatal. No arrests have been reported so far. The killing comes amid resurfacing scrutiny of Portnov's activities in Ukraine, particularly his alleged ties to the judiciary and law enforcement. Portnov was Yanukovych's deputy chief of staff responsible for the judiciary and head of his administration's legal department. Even after Yanukovych was overthrown during the 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, Portnov reportedly retained significant influence over the judiciary. He fled Ukraine after the EuroMaidan Revolution, first relocating to Russia and later to Austria. He returned to Ukraine in 2019, but left again in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion — reportedly skirting the wartime travel ban for military-age men. In 2021, the U.S. sanctioned Portnov for suspected corruption, accusing him of using influence over Ukraine's judicial system to secure favorable rulings and amass wealth. Portnov was also widely regarded as one of the most litigious figures among Ukraine's ex-officials. In 2024, a Kyiv court ruled in his favor in a defamation suit against several outlets, including the Kyiv Independent, over references to him as "pro-Russian." The contested article was authored by Glib Kanievskyi, now a defense ministry official. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) investigated Portnov over alleged involvement in the Russian occupation of Crimea. A treason case against him was opened in March 2018, but was later closed. Read also: Hated, tainted, and covertly pro-Russian — Andriy Portnov, the top Ukrainian ex-official shot dead in Spain We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What we learned from Ukrainian officials' wealth disclosures
Luxury watches, a collection of 20th century military uniforms, and a very expensive piano — these are just a few of the intriguing things revealed in the mandatory annual declaration of financial assets submitted by Ukrainian MPs last month. The transparency system was established after the 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution in light of the endemic corruption and cronyism that the toppled regime of President Viktor Yanukovych epitomized. It requires lawmakers to disclose all assets, income, and financial liabilities through the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption's online portal, and those who don't comply risk severe penalties — from fines to removal from office or even imprisonment in serious cases. The Kyiv Independent took a look at the declarations of some of Ukraine's most well-known politicians to see what they revealed. President Volodymyr Zelensky's declaration didn't have any notable additions since last year. Most of his assets, including some luxuries, are the ones he owned since before he entered politics six years ago. Among other things, Zelensky owns several high-end timepieces from Breguet, Rolex, Tag Heuer, and Bovet — the same items were listed in his first assets declaration filed in 2019. Zelensky's declaration also lists 76 trademarks, several of which are co-owned with associates from the Kvartal 95 Studio — a production company where he rose to fame as a comedian and actor before becoming president. Since Zelensky took office, he actually owns less real estate now — his declaration no longer shows a house near Kyiv, the land plot there, a house in Italy, and non-residential premises in Kyiv, which were likely sold, comprising gain in monetary assets. Instead, he only gained the right to use a state-owned dacha. The president still owns a 131.9-square-meter (1,420-square-foot) apartment in Kyiv, two garage spaces, and shares in two other apartments co-owned with the Shefir brothers, his long-time business partners. The declaration also lists a lease on a 91.9-square-meter property in the UK. His wife Olena Zelenska owns a 129.8-square-meter apartment in Crimea, which they bought in 2013 and currently have no access to due to the Russian occupation of the peninsula, and owns a 269.7-square-meter apartment with two parking spaces in Kyiv through her Cyprus-registered company Aldorante Limited. Zelensky and his family own some $1.1 million in total monetary assets, with 346,483 euro ($375,040) in a Swiss bank account. Before taking office in 2019, Zelensky declared about $780,000 in monetary assets, primarily from passive income on previously accumulated wealth and earnings from real estate sales. Their 2024 income was Hr 15,286,193 ($368,556), comprising of Hr 8,585,532 ($207,000) from government bonds, a presidential salary of Hr 336,000 ($8,095), and Hr 6 million ($144,578) from rentals, plus interest and royalties. His vehicles include a 2016 Land Rover, while his wife Olena drives a 2014 Mercedes-Benz S 500 4Matic — those haven't changed since 2019, either. Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, earned a salary of Hr 582,256 ($14,556) in 2024, around 44% higher than his boss's. The president's salary is fixed and doesn't include additional payments, whereas other political and civil servant positions such as ministers and the head of the presidential office, receive compensation consisting of a base salary plus allowances and bonuses, which in practice make up the majority of their total pay. Yermak declared monetary assets totaling $300,263, which includes Hr 4,980,000 ($124,500) received from Garnet International Media Group, a company in which he owns a 49% stake. Yermak worked as a media lawyer and film producer before joining Zelensky's team in 2019, first as an aide, and soon as the head of his office. His declaration also includes a 2019 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Former President Petro Poroshenko, currently the most prominent opposition figure in Ukraine, and by far the richest, owns an art collection containing 49 masterpieces by famous artists from the 15th to 20th centuries, including works by Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, El Greco, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Ivan Aivazovsky. The collection features works from various periods and styles — from Italian Renaissance religious paintings to Impressionism, as well as pieces by classic Russian and Ukrainian artists. The value of the collection is not specified. Other valuable possessions include luxury watches, designer clothing, handbags, jewelry, furniture, a grand piano, and various electronics. Poroshenko built his fortune as the founder of Roshen, one of Eastern Europe's largest confectionery companies, with shares now formally owned by his son Oleksiy, though they remain listed in Petro's declaration under anti-corruption legislation requirements. In 2025, Forbes evaluated Poroshenko's net worth to be $1.8 billion. He and his wife Maryna hold a total of approximately $135 million in monetary assets, a lot of it in cash. Poroshenko and his wife own over 20 properties, including apartments in Kyiv and Vinnytsia. Most were acquired before the full-scale invasion, including a 1,331-square-meter house in Kozyn near Kyiv with over 4 hectares of land. The Poroshenkos' vehicle collection includes several cars and motorcycles: a Honda CMX 1100D motorcycle (2021), a Volvo S90 Inscription (2021), a Mercedes-Benz S500L (2014), and a Mercedes-Benz S600L (2015). In late April, Poroshenko's wife filed a lawsuit to divide the couple's property, sparking divorce allegations. Poroshenko's party promptly said that the lawsuit was a tactic to protect the couple's assets from President Volodymyr Zelensky's sanctions targeting Poroshenko. The Batkivshchyna party leader Yulia Tymoshenko is notorious for filing relatively modest declarations while enjoying a luxurious lifestyle. According to her declaration, Tymoshenko doesn't own any real estate but she and her husband rent a 588-square-meter house. The rental price is not specified. The only real estate the couple owns is a small garage in their hometown of Dnipro. Meanwhile, the Batkivshchyna party leader owns a jewellery collection that includes pieces from luxury brands like Mikimoto, Chanel, Cartier, Chopard, and Dinh Van. According to Tymoshenko's asset declarations, she and her husband have a total of about $1 million in cash, most of it owned by her husband, and about Hr 1.6 million ($38,000) in a bank. Tymoshenko also lists a $4 million loan to her daughter Yevhenia. Yuriy Boyko — the pro-Russian lawmaker and former head of the banned Opposition Platform — For Life — has an apartment and a parking space in Russia, as well as significant gold deposits in a Russian bank. Boyko, a parliamentary member since 2007 and former deputy prime minister under ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, has a long history in Moscow-aligned political factions. In a Dec. 14 video on TikTok, Boyko echoed pro-Russian narratives about alleged "radicals" in Ukraine and restrictions on language and religion, later apologizing for his actions. The Boyko family holds a total of financial assets worth $3.8 million, part of which is kept in "NK Bank" in Moscow — $38,770 in rubles and $49,770 in gold. Among the vehicles owned by Boyko, the declaration lists only a 2006 Mercedes-Benz and a 1978 VAZ, while his wife owns two pieces of agricultural machinery. The speaker of Ukraine's parliament maintains an impressive personal library with approximately 5,000 scientific literature books. Ruslan Stefanchuk has declared total monetary assets of $188,506, with nearly $10,000 belonging to his wife, Maryna. He and his wife own two cars — a 2015 Renault Captur and a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna maintains the smallest savings among top officials. In 2024, she earned a salary of Hr 1,155,382 ($28,184) and received Hr 220,000 ($5,366) in alimony for her two children. She has $16,150 in savings. According to her asset declaration, Stefanishyna owns a plot of land and three apartments in Odesa Oblast, two of which are jointly owned. She owns a 2009 Toyota RAV4, which she purchased in 2012. Her declaration does not list any valuable personal belongings. First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko declared earning Hr 3.1 million ($74,910) teaching at the private Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) in 2024. This teaching income significantly exceeds her government salary of Hr 1.2 million ($29,113). KSE is led by Tymofiy Mylovanov, who previously headed the Economy Ministry where Svyrydenko served as his deputy. A recent report by Ukrainska Pravda confirmed that KSE is performing analytical and consultant services for Svyrydenko's ministry, paid for by a European Union 1-million-euro grant. Opposition MP Vladimir Aryev has alleged a conflict of interest and filed a complaint with anti-corruption authorities. Mylovanov dismissed this as a "political attack," while Svyrydenko explained she teaches as a professor of practice under three contracts. According to her declaration, she has $13,059 in total savings. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha declared one of the most niche collections of any lawmaker. He owns an extensive collection of Ukrainian artifacts including rare books, manuscripts, paintings, jewelry, religious items, documents, photographs, and uniforms of 20th century Ukrainian liberation movements. Sybiha keeps all his monetary savings in cash, with $129,902 in total monetary assets, mostly in U.S. dollars. Ukraine's Defense Minister owns 1.9 million shares in the US-based pet technology company with Ukrainian roots Petcube, a pet monitor with built-in speakers, microphone, camera, Wi-Fi, and laser pointer linked to an app. Umerov reported total monetary assets of $107,155, which include an unaccepted creditor's claim of $18,239. Both he and his wife, Leila, hold accounts at U.S. JPMorgan Chase Bank, with balances of $1,788 and $1,188, respectively. In 2024, Umerov earned a total income of Hr 4.9 million ($119,531), consisting of Hr 1.6 million ($41,000) from his ministerial salary and Hr 3.3 million ($84,600) from selling securities and corporate rights in Black Sea Company LLC. Kyiv's mayor and former boxing champion owns a white Yamaha grand piano worth nearly $25,000. Also among his valuable possessions are a 19th-century antique stone clock by Jacques Murray & Co and seven watches — by Frank Muller, IWC, and Montblanc. Klitschko declared total monetary assets of $2,600,338, with 30,000 euro ($32,100) loaned to his younger brother Volodymyr. According to his declaration, Klitschko earned Hr 2.7 million ($65,060) in 2024. His declaration includes several vehicles — a Fine Custom Puncher motorcycle, an Ironhorse Widebody trailer, as well as a Land Rover Discovery, purchased in 2023. Klitschko also listed free use of three Toyota vehicles. We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin's personal bodyguard, ex-Russian army commander helped Yanukovych flee Ukraine in 2014, prosecutor says
Sergei Morozov, the personal bodyguard of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and former commander of the Southern Military District Aleksander Galkin were involved in the illegal border crossing of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, prosecutor Denis Ivanov told Ukrinform on April 28. Earlier in the day, the Prosecutor General's Office announced that Yanukovych was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for inciting desertion and organizing illegal border crossings. This is Yanukovych's second conviction by a Ukrainian court. In 2019, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for high treason and complicity in waging war of aggression against Ukraine. Yanukovych, Ukraine's former pro-Russian leader, was ousted following the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014 and subsequently fled to to the prosecutor, during the trial for illegal border crossing, the routes and dates of Yanukovych's movements, as well as the people who facilitated them, were determined. "All these events took place with the support of the special services of the Russian Federation and the Russian Armed Forces. The Federal Security Service, the military of the Southern Military District, and the Russian Black Sea Fleet were involved," Ivanov said."One of the phones used by Yanukovych during his constant movement was connected to Putin's bodyguard," he added. The decisive direct evidence in this case was the testimony of some employees of the State Protection Department of Ukraine who refused Yanukovych's offer to leave Ukraine's territory with him and betray their military oath, according to Ivanov. Another piece of evidence in the case was information from a telecommunications operator on the recording of numbers used by Yanukovych and his security details while moving around the territory of Ukraine and Russia within the area of coverage of the operators' base stations. Yanukovych, 73, remains one of Ukraine's most controversial political figures. He was rejected by voters in the aftermath of the 2004 Orange Revolution, following the discovery of voter fraud in Yanukovych's favor. Nevertheless, he returned to win the presidency in 2010. Yanukovych's presidency, widely seen as corrupt and authoritarian, drew Ukraine closer to Russia. In November 2013, his refusal to sign an association agreement with the European Union triggered mass protests known as the EuroMaidan Revolution. After the deaths of nearly 100 protesters at the hands of security forces in February 2014, Yanukovych fled Ukraine and sought refuge in Russia. Ukrainian prosecutors believe that the former president currently resides in the village of Barvikha in Moscow Oblast. Read also: Ukraine to continue fighting with or without Trump, experts say We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
