Local sources from Spain: BBC, France 24.
UK coverage: The Independent.
In a chilling incident that has captured the world’s attention, Andriy Portnov, a key aide to Ukraine’s ousted president Viktor Yanukovych, was shot dead in front of an American school in Madrid, Spain, marking a dramatic escalation in politically motivated violence. The assassination took place in the affluent suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcón, where Portnov had just completed dropping off his children. Reports from the BBC and France 24 shed light on the circumstances and the man at the center of this tragedy. Portnov, 51, faced a barrage of bullets by one or more unidentified gunmen, prompting a massive investigation by Spanish police, who are exploring angles including political motives and connections to organized crime. The assassination occurred on May 21, 2025, around 9:15 AM local time, with emergency services unable to save him due to the severity of his injuries. Spanish authorities have since deployed 75 officers, supported by drones and helicopters, to comb the area and investigate the murder. Portnov, a controversial figure in Ukrainian politics, served as the deputy director of the Presidential Administration under Yanukovych. He was deeply involved in drafting legislation against the Euromaidan protests, which sought closer ties with the European Union, and fled to Russia following the 2014 revolution in Ukraine. Despite returning to Ukraine in 2019 and facing sanctions from the U.S. and initially from the EU (later challenged successfully in court), Portnov’s past continued to haunt him. Before his untimely death, he was under investigation for his role in Russia’s annexation of Crimea and alleged treason, though these cases were closed after a pre-trial investigation. The murder of Portnov adds to a series of politically motivated killings and underscores the volatile aftermath of Ukraine’s political upheavals. As the investigation unfolds, questions about the safety of political exiles, the reach of international law, and the shadows of past allegiances loom large, promising a complex and potentially explosive revelation of motives behind this brazen daylight assassination.
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