On the morning of May 21, prominent Ukrainian lawyer Andriy Portnov, who served as an adviser to President Viktor Yanukovych from 2011 to 2014, was killed in the Madrid suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcón. He was 51 years old.
According to Spanish media and Reuters, the attack took place around 9:15 a.m. near the American School building, where Portnov had just dropped off his children. After the children entered the school, unknown assailants approached Portnov’s car and opened fire. Preliminary reports indicate that two or three attackers were involved, one of whom was on a motorcycle. Five shots were fired at Portnov—four to the chest and one to the head. He died at the scene. The attackers fled, and none have been apprehended so far.
Spanish police confirmed the murder, and videos and photos from the crime scene have been published in the media. One image shows Portnov’s body next to a bloodied Mercedes.
Andriy Portnov was a notable figure in Ukrainian politics and the legal field. In the 2000s, he served as a member of Ukraine’s parliament, and during Yanukovych’s presidency, he held the position of Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, overseeing judicial and law enforcement matters.
Following the events of the Euromaidan, Portnov left the country but returned to Ukraine in 2019, just one day before the inauguration of President Volodymyr Zelensky. He was an outspoken critic of former President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. Democratic institutions. In 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on him.
In recent years, Portnov had been living abroad and, according to media reports, won several lawsuits against organizations and publications that labeled him pro-Russian. He remained an influential lawyer and commentator on Ukrainian political affairs.
The investigation into the murder is ongoing. No official motive has been announced at this time.
