Ex-Ukrainian Adviser Portnov Killed Outside Madrid School

Andriy Portnov, a former senior aide to pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, was assassinated outside the American School of Madrid where at least one of his children was enrolled. He was shot multiple times in an execution-style attack while getting into his car, and the assailants fled on foot. Portnov was closely tied to Yanukovych's administration and was involved in drafting legislation against participants of the 2014 Euromaidan uprising, later facing treason investigations and U.S. sanctions under the Magnitsky Act for corruption and undermining reforms. Investigators are considering both political motives and possible debt-related issues as reasons for the killing. Portnov fled Ukraine after Yanukovych's ouster, lived in Russia and Austria, and returned to Ukraine in 2019 before fleeing again after Russia's 2022 invasion. Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the killing, and the American School confirmed all students were unharmed.