Former Ukrainian Politician and senior aide to pro-Russian ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, Andriy Portnov, was shot dead outside the American School of Madrid in Pozuelo de Alarcón on Wednesday. Portnov, 51, was shot multiple times while getting into a car around 9:15 a.m. local time. The assailants fled into a nearby wooded area after the attack.
Portnov was sanctioned by the United States in 2021 for corruption and bribery under the Magnitsky Act. He was “credibly accused of using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine’s courts and undermining reform effort,” according to the US Treasury Department. Canada also froze his assets in 2014 as part of a crackdown on “corrupt foreign officials” related to his work as a former adviser to Yanukovych.
The Security Service of Ukraine previously investigated Portnov’s possible involvement in Russia’s annexation of Crimea, but the case was later closed. Portnov fled Ukraine months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In December 2024, media and civil society organizations launched a petition demanding sanctions against him, alleging continued corruption aimed at controlling the Ukrainian judiciary. The petition gathered 25,000 signatures but was rejected by Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers.
This incident raises concerns over cross-border safety and tensions beyond Ukraine’s borders. Spain has experienced targeted attacks related to the Russia-Ukraine war and has significant populations of expatriates from both countries. The country has provided humanitarian and military support to Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
- Net Worth: Andriy Portnov’s net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million, primarily sourced from his work as a lawyer in Ukraine.
- Age and Birthplace: Portnov is 51 years old, born on October 27, 1973, in Luhansk, Soviet Union.
- Distinction from Other Individuals: There’s another notable figure, Aleksandr Portnov, a Soviet diver who won a gold medal in the 1980 Summer Olympics. Additionally, Dr. Andrii Portnov, born May 17, 1979, is a Ukrainian historian and professor at European University Viadrina.