Advisor to the former Ukrainian president was killed off school in Spain – Country
Spanish authorities say advisers to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych were shot on Wednesday by gunmen outside Madrid's American schools.
Andrii Portnov, 51, was identified as a victim by Spain's Ministry of Interior. After authorities apparently put the child in class, he said he was shot dead at 9:15 a.m. local time (0715 GMT).
Police said witnesses reported that Potnov was hit in the head and body by multiple gunmen when he hit the car. The attackers then fled on foot.
Emergency Services in Madrid state that he was found dead when medical staff shot at least three shots.
Portnov is a former Ukrainian politician with close ties to Yanukovych and served as deputy director of the presidential office from 2010 to 2014.
During Yanukovych's presidency, Portnov was widely regarded as a pro-Russian politician and participated in drafting legislation aimed at persecuting participants in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.
Luis Rayo, 19, who lives in a building next to the school, said he was sleeping when he heard gunshots.
“I heard five bullets and came here to see what happened,” Leo said.
Police blocked a 150-meter (500-foot) parking lot at the entrance of Madrid's American school, near the upscale Pozuelo de Alarcón, north of the city center.
Get national news
For news that affects Canada and around the world, please sign up for breaking news alerts that were sent directly to you at the time.
Parents told the Associated Press that Potnov had children studying in private schools. The school refused to confirm whether his child had been admitted.
Timur Ayaokur, 17, said he and his classmates had heard about the first lesson of the shooting. Minutes later, school administrators told the student that a man was shot and declared dead outside.
“I think it’s a drill,” Ayaokur, 11, said of the initial announcement. “I was worried because at first I thought it might be the parents of someone I knew.”
His mother, Elina Ayaokur, originally from Azerbaijan, said she met the victims through the Russian community, although she didn't know much about him.
“I didn’t know there were Ukrainian politicians there,” Ayakoll said, adding that the victim had a son in the fourth grade.
“I was shocked, like this is happening here?” Ayaokur said.
After fleeing Ukraine in 2014, Portnov reportedly lived in Russia in 2015 before moving to Austria. It is not clear when he will move to Spain.
In 2018, the Ukraine Security Agency (SBU) investigated alleged state treason, accusing him of participating in Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The criminal case was closed in 2019.
In 2021, the United States imposed personal sanctions on Portnov, designating him as “responsible or co-conspirator, or (who) engages in corruption directly or indirectly, including embezzlement of state assets, expropriation of private assets, personal interests, causing personal damage, corruption associated with government contracts or extraction of natural resources.”
–Joseph Wilson is from Barcelona, Spain. Illia Novikov contributed to this report in Kyiv, Ukraine.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
