Spain: Ex-Ukraine politician shot dead outside Madrid School

Andriy Portnov, a former Ukrainian politician and senior aide to ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, was shot dead on Wednesday outside The American School of Madrid, Spanish authorities confirmed. 

Portnov, 51, a lawyer and former lawmaker, served as deputy head of Yanukovych’s administration before the 2014 pro-democracy uprising that removed the president from power.

According to a Spanish police source, Portnov was shot multiple times by several assailants at around 9:15 a.m. local time (3:15 a.m. ET) as he entered a vehicle. 

The attackers fled into nearby woods. Emergency services reported that Portnov suffered three gunshot wounds, including one to the head, and died shortly after the first ambulance arrived.

The shooting occurred just outside the elite American School of Madrid in Pozuelo de Alarcón, a wealthy suburb west of the capital. The school, which serves more than 1,000 students from the U.S., Spain, and other nations, quickly issued urgent alerts to parents.

A source close to the school told CNN that “the school believes the victim is the father of a student but was awaiting formal identification.” Police sealed off the area around the school in the aftermath.

Portnov had been sanctioned by the United States in 2021 under the Magnitsky Act, which targets individuals linked to corruption and human rights violations. 

He was “credibly accused of using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine’s courts and undermining reform effort,” according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

The Magnitsky Act, enacted in 2012, allows for asset freezes and visa bans against individuals linked to serious abuses, particularly in Russia and pro-Russian regimes.

Spain’s authorities are continuing their investigation, but there has been no public comment yet from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry or President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.

The Security Service of Ukraine had previously probed Portnov’s alleged role in Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The case was eventually closed.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Portnov reportedly fled the country, even as Ukraine had restricted the departure of men of military age. This information came from a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty investigation.

Canada had also sanctioned Portnov in 2014, freezing his assets due to his ties to Yanukovych’s administration, part of broader action against “corrupt foreign officials.”

Portnov held key positions during Yanukovych’s presidency, including deputy head of the presidential administration, head of the Main Directorate for Judicial Reform, and a seat on the board of the National Bank of Ukraine.

Yanukovych was removed from office during the 2014 Maidan protests after he pivoted away from the European Union toward closer relations with Russia. He later fled to Russia, along with Portnov and other senior officials. Portnov returned to Ukraine in 2019.

Though sanctioned internationally, Portnov was never formally sanctioned by Ukraine. In December 2024, media and civil society groups petitioned for Ukrainian sanctions against him, alleging continued judicial corruption and intimidation of journalists. 

The petition amassed 25,000 signatures, but Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers rejected it, citing insufficient grounds.

Portnov had previously leaked personal information about reporters investigating his dealings, according to RFE/RL.

His death adds to a pattern of violence involving allies of Yanukovych. In 2015, CNN reported on two killings in Kyiv linked to pro-Russian figures. 

Around the same time, three ex-lawmakers from Yanukovych’s party were found dead in suspected suicides, fueling speculation of a coordinated effort to eliminate his allies.

Spain has experienced other violent incidents linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In 2022, an explosion at Ukraine’s Madrid embassy injured an employee handling a letter addressed to the ambassador. Other letter bombs followed, including one sent to Spain’s prime minister. A Spanish man was later arrested in connection with the attacks.

Spain has consistently supported Ukraine, offering both humanitarian and military assistance since the war began.

More recently, in 2024, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine by flying his helicopter across the border was found shot dead in a parking garage in Alicante, Spain.

(CNN)

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