In brief
Andriy Portnov, who previously served under Viktor F. Yanukovych, was shot multiple times near a school.
In a shocking incident on Wednesday morning, Andriy Portnov, a former senior aide to the ousted Ukrainian president Viktor F. Yanukovych, was murdered outside a school in Pozuelo de Alarcón, a suburb of Madrid, Spain. The Spanish Interior Ministry reported that police arrived around 9:15 a.m. to find Portnov suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his back and head. The authorities stated that several assailants were involved and fled the scene before police could apprehend them. The motive for the attack remains unclear as investigations are underway to piece together the events leading up to this tragedy. Portnov served as the deputy head of Yanukovych's administration from 2010 until the 2014 Ukrainian uprising, which forced Yanukovych to flee to Russia. Although he went into exile, he returned to Ukraine after the election of current President Volodymyr Zelensky but left once again. Notably, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Portnov and his foundation in 2021 over allegations of corruption. It is uncertain if he was involved in any recent political endeavors prior to his death.
