Former pro-Russian Ukrainian politician killed outside Madrid school
Andriy Portnov, a former Ukrainian politician closely linked to ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, was fatally shot outside the American School in Madrid’s Pozuelo de Alarcón neighborhood, Spanish authorities reported. The attack occurred early Wednesday morning as Portnov was about to enter a vehicle. Witnesses stated that multiple assailants fired several shots at him, hitting his head and body, before fleeing on foot into nearby woods.
Portnov, once Yanukovych’s deputy head of the presidential office, played a key role in drafting laws targeting participants of Ukraine’s 2014 revolution. After fleeing Ukraine for Russia in 2014 amid accusations of treason and embezzlement, he later lived in Austria and returned to Ukraine in 2019 following President Zelenskyy’s election. He fled again after Russia’s 2022 invasion despite restrictions on military-age men leaving Ukraine.
The incident highlights the increasing tension on Spanish soil involving Russian and Ukrainian figures since the invasion, including prior attacks and political violence. Portnov’s children attended the school where the shooting took place, shocking students and parents alike.
