A gunman fatally shot Andriy Portnov in Madrid on Wednesday morning, just after he dropped off his children at school. Spanish police confirmed the assassination occurred around 9:15 AM local time in the affluent Pozuelo de Alarcón suburb.
Witnesses saw Portnov walking back to his black Mercedes when a man opened fire, striking him in the back and head. Emergency responders declared Portnov dead at the scene, despite attempts to save him. The shooter reportedly escaped through a nearby park’s wooded area before police arrived.
Authorities launched a massive search involving drones and a helicopter but have not yet made any arrests. Witnesses described the suspect as a thin man in a blue tracksuit, possibly aided by an accomplice on a motorcycle. The gunman reportedly fired five to six rounds before vanishing into the surrounding trees.
Portnov, aged 51, once served as deputy chief in the administration of former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. His career began under Yulia Tymoshenko’s party, but he shifted allegiance to Yanukovych in 2010. He left the country after Ukraine’s 2014 revolution and returned in 2019, before leaving again.
In 2021, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Portnov, calling him a court fixer who undermined Ukraine’s judiciary. Although Ukraine had opened a treason investigation against him, authorities dropped the case, citing lack of evidence. The European Union also sanctioned Portnov, but he successfully challenged those measures in court.
Authorities have not linked any specific motive to the killing, but the school confirmed all children remained safe. Police cordoned off Portnov’s car, and the school promptly informed parents about the shooting.
The attack echoed a 2018 Madrid killing of a Colombian drug trafficker, raising concerns about targeted shootings in the region. The body of Andriy Portnov was taken for an autopsy as investigators continue searching for clues behind the daylight murder.
