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Former Ukrainian President Yanukovych Advisor, Pro-Russian Ex-Politician Shot Dead in Madrid
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
A former top Ukrainian official under ex-President Viktor Yanukovych was shot and killed in an upscale suburb of Madrid, Spanish media El Pais and Reuters reported on May 21.
The victim, identified as 52-year-old Andriy Portnov, was gunned down outside the American School in Pozuelo de Alarcón.
According to emergency services, he sustained five gunshot wounds to the chest and one to the head, injuries “incompatible with life.”
Police received an emergency call at approximately 9:15 a.m. local time reporting that a man had been shot in public. By the time medical responders from SUMMA 112 arrived, Portnov had already died.
The shooter, according to police sources cited by Cadena SER, was lying in wait on a motorcycle near the school. As Portnov approached, the assailant opened fire and fled the scene—a method strikingly similar to a 2018 assassination outside the British Council School, also in Pozuelo.
While investigators are not ruling out any motives, early leads suggest a potential professional hit or targeted revenge killing.
Who was Andriy Portnov?
A key legal architect behind the repressive laws used to crack down on Euromaidan protesters in 2014;
Helped draft legislation that curtailed civil rights and freedoms to serve the interests of the Yanukovych regime;
Sanctioned by the European Union for alleged embezzlement of state funds and human rights violations in Ukraine — charges he ultimately escaped, though Ukrainian intelligence later opened a probe into his suspected ties to Russia;
An outspoken critic of Ukraine’s pro-European and pro-NATO direction;
Fled Ukraine after the fall of Yanukovych, first to Russia and later to Vienna; his family was reported to have purchased high-end property in Russia during that time.
Portnov served as a close advisor to former President Yanukovych and was one of the architects behind repressive anti-protest laws during the Euromaidan uprising in 2014.
Although he managed to avoid prosecution for corruption and human rights abuses after Yanukovych’s ouster, Portnov remained under scrutiny by Ukraine’s Security Service for his alleged pro-Russian affiliations.
He was also investigated for “high treason” in connection with the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.
Earlier, one of Russia’s most decorated military snipers was killed while fighting in Ukraine.
