Ukrainian ex-politician shot dead in Madrid

Andriy Portnov, a top advisor to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, was shot dead in a Madrid suburb on Wednesday morning. Several unknown assailants shot at Portnov five times outside the American School of Madrid, Spanish news agency El País reported. Health officials told El País Portnov was hit at least three times, including in his abdomen, his side, and a fatal shot to the head. Portnov had reportedly just dropped off his children at the school. The attackers fled into a wooded area, according to El País.

Ukrainian officials had not publicly commented on Portnov’s death by midday Wednesday. Anatolij Sharij, an exiled Ukrainian politician in opposition to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government and friend of Portnov, alleged that Zelenskyy’s office was behind the assassination. Sharij also said an expert on the Ukrainian Security Service blamed Portnov’s death on Ukrainian intelligence agencies and discussed the possibility that Sharji could be murdered as well. Portnov publicly supported Zelenskyy’s 2019 campaign for president, according to the Kyiv Post.

Who was Portnov? The former politician was unpopular in Ukraine. Portnov served from 2010-2014 in the administration of former president Yanukovych, who was ousted in a popular uprising in 2014. Yanukovych had announced plans to deepen ties with Russia. Portnov was involved in drafting legislation aimed at punishing anti-government protesters, according to the Associated Press. Ukrainian authorities also accused him in 2018 of treason for possible involvement in the Russian annexation of Crimea, but eventually closed the case, according to El País.

From 2015 on, Portnov lived alternately in Ukraine and abroad. The United States sanctioned Portnov in 2021, accusing him of buying influence over court decisions and stymying reforms. The Ukrainian government in January decided not to impose sanctions on him, according to Ukrainian news.

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