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Former Ukrainian politician shot dead near Madrid school
Andriy Portnov was gunned down in the Pozuelo district after dropping off his daughters at school
A former high-ranking Ukrainian politician, Andriy Portnov, was shot dead on Wednesday morning, May 21, outside the American School in Pozuelo de Alarcón, a wealthy suburb of the Spanish capital of Madrid. The 52-year-old, who had just dropped off his daughters, was attacked around 9.15am as he returned to his black Mercedes.
According to witness reports, several assailants shot him in the head and back before fleeing towards the Casa de Campo park, a vast wooded area nearby.
Portnov, a lawyer and close aide to pro-Kremlin former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, fled Ukraine following the 2014 Euromaidan revolution. He had been living in exile, under suspicion of corruption and subject to EU and US sanctions for misappropriation of state funds and alleged involvement in human rights abuses. In 2021, the US also sanctioned him for his reported influence over Ukraine’s judiciary.
Witnesses at the shooting reported hearing multiple gunshots. A local resident, Inés, described being woken by six or seven shots, followed by screams and the sound of a car alarm. Emergency services arrived swiftly but could only confirm his death due to injuries described as “incompatible with life”.
The Spanish National Police have launched a full investigation, involving homicide detectives, forensic units, drones and a helicopter. While investigators suspect the killing may be a settling of scores related to organised crime, a political motive linked to Portnov’s connections to Moscow and opposition to President Zelenskiy has not been ruled out.
The American School reassured parents that all students were safe. Portnov’s murder follows the February 2024 assassination of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov in Alicante province, highlighting the presence of international tensions playing out on Spanish soil.
Image: Chesno
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