A former Ukrainian government politician who had close links to pro-Russian authorities was shot dead on Wednesday outside an international school in a posh Madrid suburb, Spain’s Interior Ministry said.
Andriy Portnov, 51, who was once a top aide to ousted pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, was shot outside the American School of Madrid in Pozuelo de Alarcon, an affluent west suburban neighborhood beyond the capital.
Police officers were called to emergency reports at approximately 9:15 a.m. local time of a man with gunshot injuries lying outside the school. “Several people shot him in the back and head and then ran into a forest near there,” an Interior Ministry source stated. Emergency workers confirmed that Portnov was deceased at the scene, having been hit with at least three gunshot wounds.
Images from the scene showed his body lying next to a black Mercedes-Benz, covered by police, just steps from the school’s entrance. He was reportedly wearing white running shoes at the time of the attack.
Portnov escaped Ukraine for Russia in 2014 after Yanukovich was removed from office in a popular revolt. He had been charged with treason and corruption in Ukraine and previously was sanctioned by the European Union, though later such sanctions were removed. In 2021, the US Treasury Department sanctioned him for allegedly using Ukraine’s court system through bribery.
The American School issued a letter to parents indicating that the victim might have been one of the students parents, although official identification was awaited. Police questioned parents who had witnessed the occurrence.
Spain has witnessed a series of politically motivated attacks attributed to Russia and Ukraine since Moscow’s invasion in 2022. These have ranged from a campaign of letter bombs in 2022 to the inexplicable shooting of a Russian pilot who defected close to Alicante this year.
Portnov’s murder is being investigated.