In brief
Spanish police have launched a homicide investigation after Andriy Portnov, former deputy head of Ukraine's Yanukovych administration, was shot dead outside an American school in Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid.
On Wednesday morning, gunmen fatally shot Andriy Portnov, a former senior aide to ex-Ukrainian President Viktor F. Yanukovych, outside a school in Pozuelo de Alarcón, a suburb near Madrid, according to Spanish authorities and local media reports. The Ministry of Interior revealed that police responded to an emergency call around 9:15 a.m. after receiving reports of a person with gunshot wounds. Portnov was identified as the victim who was shot multiple times in the back and head as he attempted to enter a vehicle.While the ministry has provided no further details regarding potential suspects or the motive behind the attack, they indicated that multiple assailants fled the scene and that a homicide inquiry is in effect to clarify the circumstances of the deadly incident. Witnesses noted that the shooting occurred near the private American School of Madrid, which has remained silent on the situation.Portnov, who served as the deputy head of Yanukovych’s administration from 2010 until the turbulent protests that led to Yanukovych's ousting in 2014, fled to Russia along with his former president when the government collapsed. Although he initially lived in exile, Portnov returned to Ukraine following the election of President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2019, only to leave once more.In December 2021, the United States sanctioned Portnov and his charitable foundation, citing allegations of corruption and bribery; however, it is uncertain if he had been active in the political sphere recently. The case continues to unfold as the investigation progresses, prompting discussions about Portnov's contentious alignment within Ukraine's turbulent political landscape.
