Ukrainian ex-politician Andrij Portnow in Madrid shot

In the Spanish capital Madrid, the well -known Ukrainian lawyer and politician Andrij Portnow was shot on the open street. The man was killed with five shots near the American school, several of them in the head, confirmed the Spanish police of the German Press Agency in Madrid. According to media reports, the 51-year-old had previously brought his children to the private school for lessons. Pictures showed the body next to his car. Media in Kyiv confirmed the crime with reference to sources in Ukrainian security circles.

Between 2010 and 2014, the Eastern Ukrainian worked as a consultant and vice -chief of the presidential office under the then Russian -friendly President Viktor Yanukovich and was largely responsible for the renovation of the court system. Portnow was previously a lawyer and parliamentary member of the party of ex-Minister President Julia Timoschenko. After the fall of Yanukovych in 2014, he initially lived in exile in Russia and returned shortly before the election victory of Wolodymyr Selenskyj 2019 back to Ukraine.

After the Russian invasion of 2022, the multiple family man left the country again – this time west. In the past few months, he had attracted attention in Ukraine through successful complaints against media, which had described him as « pro -Russian ». The United States imposed sanctions against it in 2021. EU sanctions had to be lifted again after successful lawsuits.