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Russia Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Former Yanukovich presidential adviser visited Kiev days before assassination
Former Ukrainian lawmaker and presidential adviser Andrey Portnov, who was fatally shot in Madrid on Wednesday, had secretly visited Ukraine just days before his assassination, according to a report by Ukrainskaya Pravda which cites sources close to law enforcement and government circles. The newspaper said that three sources have confirmed that Portnov was in Kiev on May 17–18 for a series of high-level meetings, including with 'top officials responsible for law enforcement.' However, the exact nature of the meetings, and whether the visit was connected to his subsequent murder, remains unclear. Portnov, a lawyer and once a powerful figure in the administration of former President Viktor Yanukovich, was gunned down in the upscale Madrid suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcon three days later, on May 21. Spanish media reported that he was shot multiple times, including in the head, shortly after dropping his children off at school. Witnesses say a lone gunman approached him near his Mercedes before fleeing with the help of accomplices. No arrests have been made, and a Madrid court has reportedly classified the investigation. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga said on Friday that Madrid had shared 'official information' about the murder due to Portnov's citizenship, adding that relevant agencies in Kiev would determine the next steps. 'We possess information about the fact of the murder,' Sibiga told reporters in Kiev, while stressing that official procedures take time to unfold. Spanish police have not ruled out any motives, with reports suggesting both organized crime and a political vendetta could be behind the killing due to Portnov's complex and controversial political trajectory. After serving as a legal architect of Ukraine's judicial reform during Yanukovich's presidency, Portnov fled the country during the 2014 Western-backed Maidan coup, returning only after Vladimir Zelensky's 2019 election victory. Since then, Portnov had filed a series of legal complaints against former President Pyotr Poroshenko, and was seen as having significant influence over Ukraine's judiciary. In 2021, the United States sanctioned Portnov over alleged corruption. While he initially supported Zelensky, he quickly became a vocal critic of the new administration, accusing it of authoritarian overreach amid a crackdown on opposition figures and media it labeled 'pro-Russian.' Ukrainian media later accused him of ties to Russian elites, prompting him to flee again in 2022. He reportedly transferred assets to his children in Spain and settled in Madrid with his family. Rodion Miroshnik, Russia's ambassador-at-large overseeing a special mission on alleged Ukrainian war crimes, has suggested that Portnov's career gave him access to legal documents that could be damaging to people in Zelensky's inner circle — and that he may have been targeted to prevent the possible disclosure of such materials.
Russia Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ex-Ukrainian presidential adviser visited Kiev days before assassination
Former Ukrainian lawmaker and presidential adviser Andrey Portnov, who was fatally shot in Madrid on Wednesday, had secretly visited Ukraine just days before his assassination, according to a report by Ukrainskaya Pravda, citing sources close to law enforcement and government circles. The newspaper said that three sources confirmed Portnov was in Kiev on May 17–18 for a series of high-level meetings, including with 'top officials responsible for law enforcement.' However, the exact nature of the meetings, and whether the visit was connected to his subsequent murder, remains unclear. Portnov, a lawyer and once a powerful figure in the administration of former President Viktor Yanukovich, was gunned down in the upscale Madrid suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcon three days later, on May 21. Spanish media reported that he was shot multiple times, including in the head, shortly after dropping his children off at school. Witnesses say a lone gunman approached him near his Mercedes before fleeing with the help of accomplices. No arrests have been made, and a Madrid court has reportedly classified the investigation. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga said on Friday that Madrid had shared 'official information' about the murder due to Portnov's citizenship, adding that relevant agencies in Kiev would determine the next steps. 'We possess information about the fact of the murder,' Sibiga told reporters in Kiev, while stressing that official procedures take time to unfold. Spanish police have not ruled out any motives, with reports suggesting both organized crime and political vendetta could be behind the killing due to Portnov's complex and controversial political trajectory. After serving as a legal architect of Ukraine's judicial reform during Yanukovich's presidency, Portnov fled the country during the 2014 Western-backed Maidan coup, returning only after Vladimir Zelensky's 2019 election victory. Since then, Portnov had filed a series of legal complaints against former President Pyotr Poroshenko, and was seen as having significant influence over Ukraine's judiciary. In 2021, the United States sanctioned Portnov over alleged corruption. While he initially supported Zelensky, he quickly became a vocal critic of the new administration, accusing it of authoritarian overreach amid a crackdown on opposition figures and media it labeled 'pro-Russian.' Ukrainian media later accused him of ties to Russian elites, prompting him to flee again in 2022. He reportedly transferred assets to his children in Spain and settled in Madrid with his family. Rodion Miroshnik, Russia's ambassador-at-large overseeing a special mission on alleged Ukrainian war crimes, has suggested that Portnov's career gave him access to legal documents that could be damaging to people in Zelensky's inner circle — and that he may have been targeted to prevent the possible disclosure of such materials.
Russia Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Madrid court classifies probe into former Ukrainian MP's murder
A top court in the Madrid region has placed a secrecy order on an investigation into the killing of former Ukrainian lawmaker Andrey Portnov, according to local news reports. No suspects have been arrested in connection with Wednesday's shooting. Portnov, a seasoned politician who had fled Ukraine following allegations of treason, was gunned down in a suburb of the Spanish capital in what local media have speculated was a professional killing. The Madrid Superior Court of Justice (TSJM), the highest judicial authority in the autonomous region, issued an order to restrict public access to case details on Thursday, EFE news agency and the newspaper 20 Minutos reported. According to the latest media updates, Portnov was ambushed from behind by a lone gunman who fired at least nine rounds. Based on the circumstances, news outlets suggest the attacker had intended to ensure Portnov's death. Two accomplices reportedly assisted the assailant's escape in a getaway vehicle. The attack occurred next to Portnov's Mercedes shortly after he had dropped off his children at an elite school in Pozuelo de Alarcon, a suburb of Madrid which ranks as one of the wealthiest municipalities in Spain. Portnov was a lawyer and long-time political figure who served as an MP in the late 2000s and as a legal adviser to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, before he was ousted in a Western-backed armed coup in 2014. Portnov fled his country along with other officials, but returned in 2019 after Vladimir Zelensky's election. Known for offering legal defense to individuals he claimed were politically persecuted, Portnov appeared frequently on Ukraine's opposition media. While he initially supported Zelensky's presidential bid, he later became a vocal critic as the new administration cracked down on opposition figures and media it labeled 'pro-Russian.' Portnov reportedly left Ukraine again in July 2022 and the next year transferred some assets to his children via a notary in Madrid, signaling that he had settled in Spain. Rodion Miroshnik, Russia's ambassador-at-large overseeing a special mission on alleged Ukrainian war crimes, has suggested that Portnov's career gave him access to legal documents that could be damaging to people in Zelensky's inner circle and that he may have been targeted to prevent the possible disclosure of such materials.
CNN
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Sanctioned Ukrainian ex-politician shot dead outside Madrid's American school
Madrid, Spain CNN — Former Ukrainian politician Andriy Portnov, who worked as a senior aide to pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych, has been shot dead outside a school near the Spanish capital Madrid, Spanish authorities told CNN. Portnov, 51, a lawyer and former lawmaker, was the deputy head of Yanukovych's administration before it was ousted in Ukraine's 2014 pro-democracy uprising. He was shot several times by multiple assailants on Wednesday as he was getting into a car around 9:15 a.m. local time (3:15 a.m. ET), a Spanish police source told CNN, adding that the assailants fled into a wooded area. The Madrid region's Summa emergency services said he had three gunshot wounds, including one to the head, and he died shortly after the first ambulance arrived on the scene. The shooting took place outside the American School of Madrid, located in Pozuelo de Alaracon, an affluent suburb just west of Madrid. The school sent out various urgent messages to parents following the incident, which took place shortly after school drop-off, noting that all students were safe and that the school believes the victim is the father of a student but was awaiting formal identification, a source close to the school told CNN. Police cordoned off the area outside the elite school, which has just over 1,000 students from the United States, Spain and several dozen other countries. Portnov was sanctioned by the United States in 2021 for corruption and bribery under the Magnitsky Act. He was 'credibly accused of using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine's courts and undermining reform effort,' according to the US Treasury Department. The Magnitsky Act, signed into law in December 2012, blocks entry into the US and freezes the assets of certain Russian and pro-Russian government officials and businessmen accused of human rights violations. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the office of the President of Ukraine have not commented on Portnov's death. The Security Service of Ukraine previously investigated Portnov's possible involvement in Russia's annexation of Crimea, but the case was later closed. The former politician fled Ukraine months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, when men of draft age were not permitted to leave. Canada also froze his assets in 2014 as part of a crackdown on 'corrupt foreign officials,' in relation to his work as a former adviser to ousted ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Portnov was appointed deputy head of Yanukovych's administration in 2010, as well as the head of Ukraine's Main Directorate for Judicial Reform and Judicial System. At the same time, Portnov became a member of the board of the National Bank of Ukraine. Yanukovych was driven from office by mass demonstrations in Ukraine in 2014 after he turned his back on the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia. Yanukovych then fled Ukraine for Russia, along with Portnov and other high-level former officials in the wake of the 2014 pro-democracy, pro-European Maidan protests. Portnov later returned to Ukraine in 2019. Ukraine itself never imposed sanctions on Portnov. In December 2024, media and civil society organizations in the country launched a petition demanding sanctions against him, alleging continued corruption aimed at controlling the Ukrainian judiciary, and highlighting concerns that he was going after critical journalists with lawsuits and threats. Portnov once released the personal data of several members of an investigative journalism project run by RFE/RL, who were looking into his dealings with the Ukrainian government. The petition gathered 25,000 signatures, but Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers rejected it, citing insufficient grounds for sanctions. Other killings Portnov is not the only ally of former Ukrainian President Yanukovych who was killed after he was ousted from power. In 2015, CNN reported on two high-profile shooting deaths in the Ukrainian capital – one of a former member of parliament with ties to Yanukovych, the other of a Ukrainian journalist known for his pro-Russian views. At the time, those killings renewed speculation about a conspiracy to kill people close to Yanukovych, after three former members of parliament from his political party died by suspected suicide, found dead in their homes. Spain has also experienced a recent spate of attacks related to the Russia-Ukraine war, and it has significant populations of expatriates from both countries. In 2022, there was an explosion at Ukraine's embassy in Madrid, injuring one Ukrainian employee who was handling a letter addressed to Kyiv's ambassador to Spain, officials said. Other letter bombs followed, including one sent to the Spanish prime minister. A Spanish man was eventually arrested for the bombs, which a judge said were intended to disturb public peace and create pressure for Spain to suppress its support to Ukraine. Spain has provided humanitarian and military support to Ukraine since the Russian invasion. In 2024, a Russian pilot who dramatically defected to Ukraine by flying his helicopter across the border was found dead in Alicante, Spain, after being shot in the parking garage of an apartment building. Al Goodman reported from Madrid. Lauren Kent and Jack Guy wrote and reported from London.
Russia Today
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ex-Ukrainian presidential adviser shot dead in Spain – what we know so far
Former Ukrainian lawmaker and presidential adviser Andrey Portnov was fatally shot in a suburb of Madrid on Wednesday, according to Spanish media. Authorities have confirmed that an investigation into the shooting death of a man is underway in Pozuelo de Alarcon, but have yet to formally confirm the victim's identity. A senior Russian diplomat has suggested that the murder resembles an 'extrajudicial execution,' possibly meant to silence the mercurial political operative. Murder investigation According to Spanish media, Portnov was killed by multiple gunshot wounds next to his Mercedes after dropping his children off at the prestigious American School in Alarcon. There are conflicting accounts of the killing. El Mundo cites a police source as saying that a single shooter – a thin, tall man – shot Portnov five times, with the last bullet aimed at his head, before fleeing the scene. However, sources cited by El Pais said there were two or three assailants who struck while the victim was distracted inspecting the trunk of his car. The report said at least three shots hit him in the head, one of them fatal. According to the outlet '20minutos', investigators are considering 'score-settling related to organized crime' as a motive for the attack. A link to the Russia-Ukraine conflict has also not been ruled out, the newspaper said. No arrests in the case have yet been reported. Who was Portnov Western media reports on Portnov's killing note that the current Ukrainian government had in the past accused the deceased of being 'pro-Russian,' while the US and the EU have targeted him with sanctions. Born in 1973 in what is now the Russian city of Lugansk, Portnov was a lawyer by education who worked in the private sector before serving as an official in a state commission on securities. From 2006 to 2010, he served as an MP from the political party of Yulia Tymoshenko and helped coordinate efforts against then President Viktor Yushchenko. He later joined President Viktor Yanukovich's administration, overseeing judicial reform as deputy chief of staff and helping draft a new criminal code that was adopted in 2012. Maidan coup During the 2014 Western-backed Maidan coup, Portnov was accused of being the architect of so-called 'draconian laws' – a set of measures meant to curb street violence that the rioters claimed was a major attack on democracy. The post-Maidan authorities in Kiev later adopted similar measures after seizing power. After the coup, like many other Yanukovich-era officials, Portnov fled Ukraine, traveling to Russia and then Austria. Nevertheless, he remained involved in Ukrainian politics. He became a frequent guest on some TV channels where he vehemently spoke out against the administration of then President Pyotr Poroshenko. He also successfully litigated against the Ukrainian government, disproving state claims that he had committed crimes under Yanukovich. Zelensky backer turned target In 2019, Portnov supported Vladimir Zelensky's candidacy in that year's presidential election and returned to Ukraine after his victory. He then proceeded to file multiple complaints against the unseated Poroshenko, alleging misconduct in office. His success in the courts later caught the attention of Washington, which raised concerns over Portnov's influence in the Ukrainian judicial system. In 2021, the US imposed personal sanctions on the lawyer, accusing him of corruption. In 2022, amid Zelensky's crackdown on political opposition, Ukrainian media accused Portnov of secretly co-owning elite apartments in Moscow with associates of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He reportedly fled Ukraine again in July 2022.
