The Ukrainian former politician Andriy Portnov was shot dead on Wednesday in a suburb of Madrid. He was attacked by multiple shooters near a school.
The incident took place in Pozuelo de Alarcón, a suburb west of the Spanish capital. Emergency services found the deceased Portnov with at least three gunshot wounds. According to news agency Reuters and the Spanish newspaper El País, the 51-year-old former politician was hit in the head and back.
The shooters fled to a nearby wooded area. Police have not yet made any arrests.
Portnov was an advisor to Viktor Yanukovych. The latter was president of Ukraine between 2010 and 2014 and was deposed eleven years ago during a popular uprising. He then fled to Russia.
Yanukovych has been convicted in absentia in Ukraine for high treason, because he allegedly helped Russia with the annexation of Crimea and the unleashing of the war in the East Ukrainian region of Donbas. He has also been convicted of inciting desertion.
Portnov was suspended of treason
His then-employee Portnov was being investigated in Ukraine on charges of treason and embezzlement. The European Union imposed sanctions on him at the start of the war in Ukraine for alleged bribery, but later withdrew them.
Portnov was shot dead near the American School of Madrid. According to Spanish media, Portnov had four children and two of his daughters attended that school. Agents have spoken with witnesses on school grounds.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, there have been more incidents in Spain related to Russia and Ukraine. Spain has large communities of expats from both countries. For example, in 2024, a Russian helicopter pilot who wanted to support Ukraine was found dead in Alicante. In addition, Ukrainian embassies and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez received several letter bombs from a Spanish retired official in 2022.