Adviser To Ukrainian Ex-President Yanukovych Shot Dead Outside American School In Spain

Spanish authorities reported that Andrii Portnov, an adviser to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, was fatally shot outside the American School of Madrid by unidentified gunmen. Portnov, 52, was targeted at 9:15 a.m. local time while dropping off his children at school. Witnesses stated that he was shot multiple times in the head and body before the assailants fled the scene on foot. Portnov, a former Ukrainian politician closely linked to Yanukovych, had served as deputy head of the presidential office from 2010 to 2014. He was known for his pro-Russia stance and involvement in legislation against participants of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.

The incident occurred in a parking lot near the school, prompting police to cordon off the area. Portnov had fled Ukraine in 2014 and had lived in Russia and Austria before moving to Spain. In 2018, Ukraine’s Security Service investigated him for alleged state treason related to Russia’s annexation of Crimea, but the case was closed in 2019.

In 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on Portnov for corruption allegations. The shooting was reported by Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain, with contributions from Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine.