Former advisor to ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, lawyer Andrey Portnov, was shot dead in a suburb of Madrid, the information was confirmed by Spanish police.
As reported by the publication El País, the murder occurred around 9:15 AM. The 52-year-old Portnov was in his car, parked at the entrance to a private American college in the city of Pozuelo de Alarcón, where he had brought his children. He received at least five shots, including a fatal wound to the head. Medics who arrived at the scene confirmed death «as a result of injuries incompatible with life, received from at least three shots from a firearm». The main version of the investigation considers the murder to be due to debts, the publication writes. The shooters have not yet been found.
Andrey Portnov was the first deputy head of the presidential administration under Viktor Yanukovych in 2011-2014. He was a fierce opponent of Euromaidan, calling for an investigation against its participants and amnesty for «Berkut officers». In 2014, Portnov left Ukraine, lived for a while in Russia, and then moved to Vienna. He was under European and American sanctions. In his homeland, Portnov was wanted for treason in connection with his alleged role in Russia's invasion of Crimea.
Photo: El País