Latest news with #UkrayinskaPravda
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Murdered on the school run: The controversial Ukrainian gunned down in Madrid
Andriy Portnov's murder in a Madrid suburb has shocked Ukrainians, but it has not exactly triggered an outpouring of grief. The controversial former official had just dropped his children off at the American School when he was shot several times in the car park. The image of his lifeless body lying face down in a gym kit marked the end of a life synonymous with Ukrainian corruption and Russian influence. Ukraine's media have been discussing the 51-year-old's frequent threats to journalists, as well as his huge influence under the country's last pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych. "A man who called for the killing of political opponents suddenly got what he wanted from others," observed reporter Oleksandr Holubov. News website Ukrayinska Pravda even called him "the devil's advocate". Rare words of restraint came from Portnov's once political rival Serhiy Vlasenko, an MP, who said: "You can't kill people. When discussing someone's death, we must remain human." Portnov was controversial and widely disliked. The motives for his murder may seem evident, but his death has still left unanswered questions. Before entering Ukrainian politics, Portnov ran a law firm. He worked with then-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko until 2010, before defecting to Yanukovych's camp when he won the election. "It was a big story of betrayal," remembers Ukrainian journalist Kristina Berdynskykh. "Because Tymoshenko was a pro-Western politician, and Yanukovych pro-Russian." The adviser became the country's first deputy head of the Presidential Office and set up a national criminal code in 2012. For him, his critics say, his ascent was less about politics, and more about power and influence. "He was just a good lawyer, everyone knew he was very smart," Kristina tells me. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Ukraine inherited a judicial system in desperate need of reform. Mykhailo Zhernakov, a legal expert and head of the Dejure Foundation believes Portnov remoulded it in order for the government to cover up illegal schemes, and to mask Russian attempts to control the country. "He was the kingpin, mastermind and architect of this corrupt legal system designed to serve the pro-Russian administration at the time," he says. Over a decade, Portnov would sue journalists who wrote negative stories about him through the courts and judges he controlled. His attempts to control the judicial system would lead to him being sanctioned by the US. At the time, Washington accused the adviser of placing loyal officials in senior positions for his own benefit, as well as "buying court decisions". Portnov later pursued activists who took part in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution, which toppled Viktor Yanukovych from power, and forced him to escape the country to Russia. "He used sexual threats," says Oksana Romaniuk who remembers her and other journalists' interactions with Portnov well. As director of the Institute of Mass Information, she monitors free speech in Ukraine. Whenever a damning report was published, the reaction was familiar and consistent. "When people exposed his corruption, he accused them of fake news," she says. "Even when journalists had documents and testimonies backing up the allegations, it was impossible to win the lawsuits in court. It was impossible to defend yourself. It was a rotten system." Andriy Portnov eventually settled in Moscow after his old boss Yanukovych fled in 2014. Investigative reporter Maksym Savchuk subsequently investigated his ties to Moscow, as well as his extensive property portfolio there. "He responded with words I don't want to quote, derogatory ones about my mother," he remembers. "It's a trait of his character; he is a very vindictive person." Even after leaving Ukraine, Portnov still tried to influence Ukrainian politics by taking control of pro-Kremlin TV channel NewsOne. He returned in 2019, only to flee again with the full-scale invasion in 2022. The irony of Portnov eventually settling in Spain and sending his children to a prestigious American school has not been lost on many. Alongside the undisguised delight in Portnov's death, there has been endless speculation over who was responsible. "It could have been the Russians because he knew so many things," suggests legal expert Mykhailo Zhernakov. "He was involved in so many shady Russian operations it could be them or other criminal groups. He managed to annoy a lot of people," he says. Despite the motives being clearer on this side of the border, Ukrainian security sources appear to be trying to distance themselves from the killing. Kyiv has previously carried out assassinations in Russian-occupied territory and in Russia itself, but not in Spain. Some Spanish media reports suggest his murder was not political, but rather over "economic reasons or revenge". "You can imagine how many people need to be interrogated in order to narrow down the suspects," thinks Maskym Savchuk. "Because this person has a thousand and one enemies." In Ukraine, Portnov is seen as someone who helped Russia form the foundations for its invasion. A once general dislike of him has only been intensified since 2022. Despite this, Mykhailo Zhernakov hopes his death is also an opportunity for wider judicial reforms. "Just because he's gone doesn't mean his influence has," he warns. "Because many of the people he appointed or helped get jobs are still in the system." Additional reporting by Hanna Chornous. Trump's call with Putin exposes shifting ground on Ukraine peace talks Why Zelensky can't and won't give up Crimea Beginning of the end? Ukraine's front-line soldiers eye Russia talks with hope Ukraine makes gains in its other war - fighting corruption
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia attacks Kyiv amid clash over Ukraine peace talks
Russia launched an overnight attack on Kyiv that killed nine people and injured at least 70 others, hours after US president Donald Trump clashed with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky. The combined missile and drone attack triggered fires and resulted in the death of nine people, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. Six children were reported to be among the 70 people injured. The attack came after Trump accused Zelensky of making it 'difficult to settle' the war with Russia over his opposition to recognising Moscow's annexation of Crimea. The US administration is urging Kyiv to accept Russia's continued control of occupied Ukrainian regions and Moscow's ownership of the Crimean peninsula as part of a peace settlement. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he has 'a deal with Russia' and has 'got to do a deal with Zelensky', adding: 'I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky, so far it's been harder.' Meanwhile, Zelensky has travelled to South Africa as he solidifies once-strained relations with the country – while also ramping up efforts to counter Russia's growing influence in Africa. Read more from our media partners below or click the headlines to skip ahead: > Drone, missile attack on Kyiv kills nine > Phones ringing under rubble in Kyiv: search ongoing > Trump accuses Zelensky of harming peace talks > Zelensky arrives in South Africa to meet president Ramaphosa > Russian official says Moscow has right to use nuclear weapons An overnight Russian combined missile and drone attack triggered fires, smashed buildings and buried residents under rubble in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, killing nine people and injuring more than 70, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. "There has been destruction. The search is continuing for people under rubble," the State Emergency Service wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The most serious incident was at an apartment building destroyed in the Sviatoshynskyi district west of the city centre. Read the full report from Reuters Phones have been heard ringing from under the rubble of a building destroyed by the Russians in the Sviatoshynskyi district of Kyiv. The search and rescue operation is ongoing. Two children are among those being searched for. Full details and photos from Ukrayinska Pravda Donald Trump has claimed a deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine is "very close" and urged Volodymyr Zelensky to "get it done", even as Russian missiles and drones brought more carnage to Kyiv overnight… On Wednesday, Trump appeared to vent frustration about Zelensky on his Truth Social platform. "We are very close to a deal, but the man with 'no cards to play' should now, finally, GET IT DONE," Trump said. "I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this complete and total MESS, that would have never started if I were president!" Read more from Sky News Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in South Africa to meet his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, and other representatives of African countries, Zelensky said on 24 April. 'It is crucial to bring a just peace closer. We are working to ensure that the G20 countries are actively engaged in diplomatic efforts,' Zelensky said. 'We count on South Africa's meaningful participation in the International Coalition for the return of thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. We will also certainly strengthen our cultural and educational ties.' South Africa, the continent's largest economy that currently chairs the G20 group, has maintained a neutral stance in the war while deepening its economic and political ties with Moscow. Read the full story from The Kyiv Independent Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event it faces aggression by Western countries, Moscow's top security official, Sergei Shoigu, was quoted as saying in an interview with the TASS state news agency on Thursday... Shoigu, who served for over a decade as Russia's defence minister until he moved to head its powerful security council in a government reshuffle last year, cited amendments to Moscow's nuclear doctrine approved by president Vladimir Putin last November… Under the new terms, Russia could consider a nuclear strike in response to a conventional attack on Russia or its ally Belarus that "created a critical threat to their sovereignty and (or) their territorial integrity." Read the full story from Reuters
