A Ukrainian lawyer and former politician, Andriy Portnov, has been fatally shot by a motorbike-riding assassin while dropping off his child at a prestigious American school in Madrid, Spain.
The incident occurred in the upscale Pozuelo district of the Spanish capital at approximately 9:15 a.m. local time. Witnesses say the gunman fired five shots at Portnov moments after he left his child at the school gates. Emergency responders arrived quickly but were unable to save the victim.
Spanish police confirmed the attack but have not officially identified the deceased. His body remained at the scene for nearly two hours, awaiting authorization for removal.
Possible Motive Behind the Killing
Sources describe the assassination as an “ajuste de cuenta”—a Spanish term referring to a revenge killing or settling of scores.
Portnov was a senior aide to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in 2014 during the Revolution of Dignity.
Following Yanukovych’s removal, Portnov fled Ukraine for Russia before returning in 2021, a year before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Controversial Political Background
Portnov had a long history of legal and political battles. In July 2022, reports suggested he had left Ukraine despite a travel ban for military-age males. It remains unclear how long he had been living in Spain.
Last year, he won a defamation case against Ukrainian media outlets that described him as “pro-Russian” and accused him of openly supporting Moscow.
In 2021, the United States sanctioned Portnov for corruption. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) described him as “widely known as a court fixer” who influenced Ukraine’s judiciary for personal and political gain.
Spanish authorities have launched an investigation into the killing, assigning the case to the Brigada de Información, a specialist police unit focused on counterterrorism and organized crime.
A spokesman for the Madrid National Police confirmed the attack:
“All we can confirm is that a man has been shot dead outside a school in Pozuelo de Alarcón. We received a call around 9:15 a.m. There was nothing emergency responders could do to save the victim. An investigation has been launched and is ongoing.”
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