Latest news with #Portnov
Yahoo
2 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
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pro-Russian public figure Portnov coordinated case concerning alleged treason of Ukraine's 5th president
Ukrainska Pravda has reported that Andrii Portnov, a shadow handler of the courts and a lawyer close to the fugitive former president Viktor Yanukovych, has been coordinating investigators since December 2021 in the so-called "coal case" concerning the alleged treason of the fifth president, Petro Poroshenko. Source: Ukrainska Pravda article Without trial or investigation. What was Andrii Portnov doing on the eve of his murder? Details: The case was formally investigated by the State Bureau of Investigations under the leadership of Oleksii Sukhachov. However, as Ukrainska Pravda said, it was Portnov who coordinated the investigators' actions from the moment the case was activated at the end of 2021. This refers to a scheme first exposed by Ukrainska Pravda in 2016, whereby coal from occupied mines in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts was brought into Ukraine instead of coal from South Africa. Petro Poroshenko and Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician who is also known for his connections to Putin, were named as the initiators. After years of stagnation and imitation of investigative actions, the investigation suddenly intensified immediately after a meeting of the National Security and Defence Council, which approved sanctions against several political figures, including Petro Poroshenko. One of Ukrainska Pravda sources, familiar with the case, explained: "Portnov has been seeking personal revenge for years. His main target has always been Poroshenko – a political antagonist and a man who did not keep his promise to him at the time. The 'coal case' became his personal project." Quote from the article: "It was the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv – a key link in Portnov's vertical structure – that limited the time the defence had to study the case materials, which, according to Poroshenko's lawyer Illia Novikov, was a tool of pressure." Details: Despite the fact that the court that will hear the case has not yet been determined, Ukrainska Pravda sources indicate that control over its progress remains in the hands of the same judicial vertical formed by Portnov. Poroshenko's team also names Portnov as the main initiator and curator of most cases involving the fifth president. Previously: Portnov was shot dead on the morning of 21 May near an American school in Madrid, Spain. Ukrainska Pravda reported that Andrii Portnov visited Ukraine a few days before his murder in Madrid. There he met with Oleh Tatarov, Deputy Head of the President's Office of Ukraine, and Oleksii Sukhachov, Director of the State Bureau of Investigation. Background: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in an evening address on 12 February 2025 that the National Security and Defence Council would impose new sanctions but did not name any names. Sources close to Ukraine's fifth president and current MP, Petro Poroshenko of the European Solidarity party, and the National Security and Defence Council told Ukrainska Pravda that Poroshenko was among those targeted by the sanctions. The fifth president of Ukraine called the sanctions against him a colossal blow to internal unity. On 13 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the NSDC's decision of 12 February to impose sanctions. In May, Ukrainska Pravda learned that the investigation against Poroshenko in the so-called "coal case" had been completed and that he was charged with high treason. The question of which court will hear the case is currently being decided. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Spain rejects Ukraine's bid for joint probe into pro-Russian politician Portnov's murder
Spanish law enforcement has declined Ukraine's proposal to form a joint task force to investigate the murder of Andrii Portnov, a lawyer and influential figure linked to Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian former president of Ukraine who fled the country after the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. Source: Ukrainska Pravda article Without trial or investigation. What was Andrii Portnov doing on the eve of his murder? Quote: "Following Portnov's murder, Ukraine proposed forming a joint investigative group with Spanish law enforcement, but the offer was rejected. Spanish investigators have not ruled out the involvement of Ukrainian security services." Details: Sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda suggest two possible motives for Ukraine's interest in a joint investigation. One is to access investigative materials, including Portnov's phones and gadgets, which may contain sensitive information. The other is a desire, particularly from Oleh Tatarov, a key figure overseeing Ukraine's law enforcement, to expedite the investigation and clarify the circumstances of the killing. The Spanish authorities have also refused to release Portnov's body to Ukraine, with expectations that this might occur early next week, according to the publication. For reference: Portnov was deputy head of the presidential administration under pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2010-2014. He denied crimes committed by security forces against participants of the Revolution of Dignity in the winter of 2013-2014 and fled Ukraine. He returned in 2019 on the eve of the inauguration of newly elected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Portnov was also considered an influential shadow handler of Ukrainian courts. In 2018, criminal proceedings were opened against Portnov for treason. However, in 2019, Portnov stated on his Telegram that the Security Service of Ukraine had closed the criminal case against him, and published the relevant documents. In 2019, investigative journalists released recordings of conversations from the office of the notorious judge Pavlo Vovk. From the conversations on the tapes, journalists extrapolated that Portnov, together with Vovk and the then head of the President's Office, Andrii Bohdan, illegally influenced the dismissal of the head of the Constitutional Court, Stanislav Shevchuk. In April 2020, at the beginning of Iryna Venediktova's term as Prosecutor General, Portnov blackmailed her, saying that he had compromising information about her illegal activities. In the same year, Oleksandr Sokolov, then acting director of the State Bureau of Investigations, admitted that there were "influence groups" within law enforcement agencies that disclosed confidential information and important details of investigations to former officials, including Portnov. In December 2021, it became known that the US government had imposed sanctions against Andrii Portnov and his charitable foundation. Portnov was 51 years old. Background: Portnov was shot dead on 21 May 2025 outside the American School in Madrid's Pozuelo de Alarcón suburb, shortly after dropping off his children. Spanish police suspect the attack was meticulously planned, possibly by a professional assassin using a silenced pistol, with at least one accomplice and a prearranged escape route. No arrests have been made and motives under consideration include organised crime and political retribution. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pro-Russian public figure Portnov met with some Ukrainian top officials on eve of his murder
Andrii Portnov, a shadow handler of the Ukrainian court system and a lawyer close to the fugitive former president Yanukovych, visited Ukraine a few days before his murder in Madrid. There he met with Oleh Tatarov, Deputy Head of the President's Office of Ukraine, and Oleksii Sukhachov, Director of the State Bureau of Investigation. Source: Ukrainska Pravda article Without trial or investigation. What was Andrii Portnov doing on the eve of his murder? Details: Four independent sources confirmed to Ukrainska Pravda that Portnov was in Ukraine on 17-18 May. It was also noted that Portnov had had meetings with top officials during those days. Quote from the article: "During this visit, Portnov met with top officials responsible for law enforcement, including Oleh Tatarov, Deputy Head of the President's Office, and Oleksii Sukhachov, Director of the State Bureau of Investigation." Details: Meanwhile, all of the sources stated that they did not know what topics were discussed at these meetings. For reference: Portnov was deputy head of the presidential administration under pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2010-2014. He denied crimes committed by security forces against participants in the Revolution of Dignity in the winter of 2013-2014 and fled Ukraine. He returned in 2019 on the eve of the inauguration of newly elected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Portnov was also considered an influential shadow handler of Ukrainian courts. In 2018, criminal proceedings were opened against Portnov for treason. However, in 2019, Portnov stated on his Telegram that the Security Service of Ukraine had closed the criminal case against him, and published the relevant documents. In 2019, investigative journalists released recordings of conversations from the office of the notorious judge Pavlo Vovk. From the conversations on the tapes, journalists extrapolated that Portnov, together with Vovk and the then head of the President's Office, Andrii Bohdan, illegally influenced the dismissal of the head of the Constitutional Court, Stanislav Shevchuk. In April 2020, at the beginning of Iryna Venediktova's term as Prosecutor General, Portnov blackmailed her, saying that he had compromising information about her illegal activities. In the same year, Oleksandr Sokolov, then acting director of the State Bureau of Investigations, admitted that there were "influence groups" within law enforcement agencies that disclosed confidential information and important details of investigations to former officials, including Portnov. In December 2021, it became known that the US government had imposed sanctions against Andrii Portnov and his charitable foundation. Portnov was 51 years old. Background: Portnov was shot dead on the morning of 21 May near an American school in Madrid, Spain. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Saudi Gazette
6 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Controversial ex-Ukrainian official shot dead in Madrid
KYIV — The fatal shooting of Andriy Portnov, a former top Ukrainian official, in a Madrid suburb has triggered a wave of speculation and little public sympathy in his home country, where he is widely viewed as a symbol of systemic corruption and Russian influence. Portnov, 51, was gunned down in a parking lot after dropping off his children at the American School of Madrid. Spanish police found him lying face down in gym clothes. While shocking, the killing has not sparked mourning in Ukraine, where media outlets and commentators have focused on his controversial legacy rather than the circumstances of his death. Often referred to as the architect of a judicial system that critics say protected corruption and undermined reform, Portnov held powerful roles during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted during Ukraine's 2014 Maidan Revolution. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration has made no comment on the killing, while some security sources are reportedly distancing Kyiv from involvement. Although Ukraine has carried out targeted killings in Russian-occupied territories and inside Russia, a politically motivated assassination in Spain would mark a significant media have also speculated that the motive may have been personal or financial, rather than critics describe him as a manipulative power broker with deep ties to pro-Kremlin serving as legal adviser to former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, he switched sides in 2010 to join Yanukovych's administration, rising to become deputy head of the presidential was instrumental in shaping Ukraine's legal framework during a time when Western governments, including the U.S., accused his office of manipulating court decisions and planting loyal rights monitors and journalists accuse him of using the courts to silence dissent. 'When people exposed his corruption, he accused them of fake news,' said Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass reporters say he used threats and defamation lawsuits to target media outlets and individual the fall of Yanukovych, Portnov moved to Moscow and was later found to have ties to Kremlin-backed media and intelligence-linked operations. In 2019, he briefly returned to Ukraine before fleeing again in being sanctioned by the U.S. for judicial interference and alleged corrupt activities, Portnov lived openly in Europe in recent years, even enrolling his children in one of Spain's most prestigious private presence in Spain and his death have raised questions about how he continued to move freely despite his theories swirl over whether Russian intelligence, criminal networks, or private enemies were behind the killing, legal expert Mykhailo Zhernakov says Portnov's death should not be mistaken for justice.'Just because he's gone doesn't mean his influence has,' he said, warning that many of the officials Portnov once empowered remain entrenched in Ukraine's legal system.
