A Ukrainian lawyer and former politician has been gunned down in a ‘professional hit’ by a motorbike-riding assassin while dropping his daughter off at a prestigious American school in Madrid.
Andriy Portnov, who last year won a defamation case against a Ukrainian news site that called him ‘pro-Russian’, was shot five times moments after dropping off his child in the upmarket Pozuelo district of the Spanish capital.
Police received the call about the shooting at 9.15 a.m. (0715 GMT) local time, the Madrid police told Reuters, without identifying the victim.
The man was said to have been shot five times as he took his children to the school when he was shot. His body was still at the scene nearly two hours after the shooting and will be only be removed following authorisation from a judge.
Police have not yet made any official comment but well-placed sources are describing it as an ‘ajuste de cuenta’ – which translates into English as a ‘settling of scores’ or ‘revenge killing.’
A school receptionist said she was unable to talk on the phone this morning ‘because she had lots of parents with her.’
Portnov was a senior aide to Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovich who was ousted in 2014 during the Revolution of Dignity.
He fled Ukraine for Russia, though later returned in 2021 – just one year before Vladimir Putin invaded the country.
Andriy Portnov (pictured), who last year won a defamation case against a Ukrainian news site that called him ‘pro-Russian’, was shot five times moments after dropping off his child
His body was still at the scene nearly two hours after the shooting and will be only be removed following authorisation from a judge
It was reported in July 2022 Portnov had left Ukraine despite a travel ban for military-age males. It was not immediately clear how long he had been living in Spain.
Last year, he won a defamation case against several Ukrainian outlets who described him as a ‘pro-Russian politician… infamous for his open support for Russia.’
In 2021, he was sanctioned by the US for corruption, with the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) writing of him: ‘Widely known as a court fixer, Portnov was credibly accused of using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine’s courts and undermining reform efforts.
‘As of 2019, Portnov took steps to control the Ukrainian judiciary, influence associated legislation, sought to place loyal officials in senior judiciary positions, and purchase court decisions.
‘In mid-2019, Portnov colluded with a high ranking Ukrainian government official to shape the country’s higher legal institutions to their advantage and influence Ukraine’s Constitutional Court.
‘Additionally, Portnov has been involved in an attempt to influence the Ukrainian Prosecutor General.’
Witnesses have described the killing as a ‘professional hit’ and said the killer waited for his victim to drop his daughter off before striking.
Some of the shots are said to have been fired when the murdered man was lying on the ground after the impact of the first bullets.
Police received the call about the shooting at 9.15 a.m. (0715 GMT) local time at the American School of Madrid (pictured)
It was reported in July 2022 Portnov had left Ukraine despite a travel ban for military-age males
In 2021, he was sanctioned by the US for corruption
This morning’s shooting will be investigated by a specialist police group called the Brigada de Información, dubbed Spain’s secret police in the fight against terrorism and hate crimes.
The elite force was involved in the probe into the attempted murder of the European Parliament’s former vice president Alejo Vidal-Quadras in Madrid in November 2023 which has been blamed on Iran.
Spanish police have yet to confirm the name of the victim, which is widely circulating in Spanish press.
A spokesman for the National Police in Madrid said this morning: ‘All we can confirm is that a man has been shot dead outside a school in Pozuelo de Alarcon.
‘We received a call around 9.15am. There was nothing emergency responders could do to save the victim.
‘An investigation has been launched and is ongoing.’
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been several crimes involving high-profile Russian and Ukrainians in Spain, which has significant expatriate populations from both countries.
In November and December 2022, six letter bombs were sent to high profile targets around Spain, including to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, government offices, a European Union satellite company and the US Embassy.
A 76-year-old retired Spanish civil servant whose social media searches suggested sympathy for Russia was jailed for the offences.
In April 2022, a Russian businessman tied to Russia’s gas company Novatek was found dead in an apparent suicide together with his wife and daughter who had suffered stab wounds.
In February 2024, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with his helicopter was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking garage of his apartment block near Alicante.
More to follow.
