Murder in Madrid: Spanish police probe Portnov's business ties
The Spanish police are investigating the affairs of Andriy Portnov, who served as an advisor to the former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from 2010 to 2014, as a possible motive for his murder on Wednesday near Madrid, reported the newspaper "ABC".
Portnov was shot on Wednesday morning in the affluent town west of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón, by unidentified perpetrators. The murder took place at about 9:15 AM, in front of the American School, where Portnov was dropping off his children.
According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian had been living in the Spanish capital for just over a year. He had a law office there, where he reportedly advised both Ukrainians and Russians, and "transferred company assets worth millions".
He mediated business transactions for his compatriots, but also for Russians. Among them were people from the circle of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, wrote "ABC".
The perpetrators of the murder, who fled into the forests surrounding Pozuelo, are being sought. The police do not rule out that they may have already left the country.
As reported by "ABC", Spanish intelligence sources currently see no indication that the murder was politically motivated.
Portnov was on the EU blacklist
The Kremlin, however, is attempting to use the murder for propaganda purposes, accusing the government in Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of organizing it, noted the Madrid newspaper.
Portnov was an advisor to former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from 2010 to 2014. He was placed on the EU's "blacklist" for embezzling state funds and human rights violations in Ukraine. Although he was cleared of charges, Ukrainian services remained interested in Portnov due to his pro-Russian sympathies.
He was one of the authors of the laws passed to suppress the Euromaidan protests in 2014 and was later pursued for his involvement in Russia's annexation of Crimea, as Spanish media recalled.
