Ex-Ukrainian MP shot dead in Spain amid ongoing tensions

Thursday 22 May 2025 - 15:10

By: Dakir Madiha

Ex-Ukrainian MP shot dead in Spain amid ongoing tensions

A former Ukrainian member of parliament, sanctioned by the United States, was shot dead near Madrid on Wednesday. The victim, Andriy Portnov, was a senior aide to Viktor Yanukovych, the country’s former pro-Russian president. This incident occurred in the upscale town of Pozuelo de Alarcón, where witnesses reported that several assailants targeted Portnov as he was about to enter a vehicle.

Spanish police confirmed that the shooters fled the scene into a nearby wooded area after the attack, which took place outside an American private school.

Portnov served as a lawmaker in the 2000s and held the position of deputy head of the presidential administration under Yanukovych, who was closely allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following Yanukovych's ousting in 2014 during pro-European protests, Portnov fled to Russia, later residing in Austria before briefly returning to Ukraine after the election of current President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on Portnov for alleged corruption, accusing him of leveraging his influence in the judiciary to obstruct reform efforts in Ukraine. Reports indicate that he managed to escape Ukraine again in 2022, despite a ban on men of military service age leaving amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

While Ukrainian authorities have not publicly commented on the shooting, a military intelligence official confirmed to AFP that Portnov had indeed been killed. This incident adds to a troubling pattern, as Ukraine has been linked to various targeted killings of political or military figures since the onset of the invasion in 2022.

Such acts raise significant questions about ongoing tensions and the lengths to which political factions will go in the context of the war.