Latest news with #UkrainianPolitics
Bloomberg
28-05-2025
- General
- Bloomberg
Zelenskiy Embarks on a Key Month for Ukraine
Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven't yet, sign up here. Caught between an unpredictable US administration and a plodding diplomatic track, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is seeking to boost his domestic weapons production to hold off Moscow's offensive.
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.
Russia Today
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ex-Ukrainian presidential adviser shot dead in Spain
Former Ukrainian lawmaker and presidential adviser Andrey Portnov was fatally shot in a suburb of the Spanish capital, Madrid, on Wednesday, local media has reported. The circumstances of the murder suggest it may have been an 'extrajudicial execution,' as Portnov may have had access to information that could threaten figures in Vladimir Zelensky's administration, Rodion Miroshnik, Russia's ambassador-at-large overseeing a special mission on alleged Ukrainian war crimes, has said. The killing occurred in Pozuelo de Alarcon, according to the newspaper El Pais. Portnov, 51, was reportedly approached by two or three assailants and shot at least five times, including three times in the head, while inspecting the trunk of his Mercedes car, near a private school attended by his children. Spanish authorities have confirmed a homicide took place in the area but are yet to formally identify the victim. Portnov, a lawyer by training, served in the Ukrainian parliament from 2006 to 2010. 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. In 2014, Portnov fled Ukraine following the Western-backed armed coup in Kiev that ousted Yanukovich's government. Despite going into exile, he remained active in Ukrainian political discourse, frequently appearing on national television. Portnov returned to the country in 2019 to support presidential candidate Vladimir Zelensky. After Zelensky won the election, Portnov filed several legal complaints against outgoing President Pyotr Poroshenko, alleging various offenses committed during his time in office. None of those cases resulted in convictions. He reportedly left Ukraine again in June 2022. At the time, Ukrainian media described him as being aligned with 'pro-Russian media' outlets that had been shut down by the Zelensky administration and he was accused of making disparaging remarks about the nature of the 2014 coup. Portnov has been listed since at least 2015 by Mirotvorets, a controversial semi-official public database that catalogs individuals deemed enemies of Ukraine. Several people listed by the site have been murdered over its decade of operation. Ukrainian intelligence services have previously claimed or implied involvement in a number of targeted killings of individuals labeled as enemies by Kiev. Some of those assassinations have occurred outside Ukraine, including the December 2023 shooting of former Ukrainian lawmaker Ilya Kiva near Moscow.
Associated Press
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
An adviser to Ukrainian ex-President Viktor Yanukovych has been shot dead in Spain
MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities said that an adviser to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was shot dead outside a school in Madrid on Wednesday. Spain's Interior Ministry identified the victim as Andrii Portnov. Authorities said that he was shot at 9:15 a.m. local time (0715 GMT). Portnov is a former Ukrainian politician closely tied to Yanukovych, having served as deputy head of the presidential office from 2010 to 2014. During Yanukovych's presidency, Portnov was widely viewed as a pro-Russia political figure and was involved in drafting legislation aimed at persecuting participants of the 2014 revolution in Ukraine.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Ex-Ukrainian politician shot dead while dropping daughter at Madrid school
A former Ukrainian politician was shot dead by gunmen on motorcycles outside a school in a Madrid suburb, a source close to the police investigation said. Andriy Portnov is believed to have been dropping his daughter off at the American School of Madrid, in the wealthy area of Pozuelo de Alarcon. Police received a call at 9.15am local time on Wednesday about an incident outside the school. Portnov was a senior aide to Viktor Yanukovich, Ukraine's former president, who was ousted in the 2014 Euromaidan revolution. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been several crimes involving high-profile Russian and Ukrainians in Spain, which has significant expatriate populations from both countries. In November and December 2022, six letter bombs were sent to high profile targets around Spain, including to Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, government offices, a European Union satellite company and the US Embassy. A 76-year-old retired Spanish civil servant whose social media searches suggested sympathy for Russia was jailed for the offences. In April 2022, a Russian businessman tied to Russia's gas company Novatek was found dead in an apparent suicide together with his wife and daughter who had suffered stab wounds. In February 2024, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with his helicopter was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking garage of his apartment block near Alicante.
