A UKRAINIAN politician has been shot dead in Spain while taking his daughter to school.
Andriy Portnov, 51, was shot and killed in Madrid, where he resided, after his pro-Russia party lost power in Ukraine.
The ex-politician was murdered while dropping off his daughter at the American School in Pozuelo, a wealthy neighborhood, as reported by Radio station Cadena SER.
Police received the call about the shooting at 9.15 am local time.
Portnov had previously served as a top advisor to Ukraine’s ousted pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovich, who was in power from 2010 to 2014.
He played a key role in the former president’s election team before the 2010 victory – but fled Ukraine after 2014.
The politicians was involved in enforcing “dictatorship laws” and has since been sanction by the US.
Portnov’s body was still at the scene almost two hours after the shooting, and will be only be removed following authorisation from a judge.
He is understood to have been shot five times – with the gunman continuing to shoot while he was on the floor.
Witnesses have described the killing as a “professional hit” and said the killer waited for his target to drop his daughter off before striking.
This morning’s shooting will be investigated by a specialist police group called the Brigada de Información, dubbed Spain’s secret police in the fight against terrorism and hate crimes.
It was reported in July 2022 Portnov had left Ukraine despite a travel ban for military-age males.
It was not immediately clear how long he had been living in Spain.
President Viktor Yanukovich, who also served as the country’s prime minister several times, was ousted from power in 2014 following months of protests and the so-called Revolution of Dignity.
Since then, Yanukovich has lived in exile in Russia.
Spanish police have yet to confirm the name of the victim, though it has circulated widely in Spanish press.
A spokesman for the National Police in Madrid said this morning: “All we can confirm is that a man has been shot dead outside a school in Pozuelo de Alarcon.
“We received a call around 9.15am. There was nothing emergency responders could do to save the victim.
“An investigation has been launched and is ongoing.”
Portnov fled Ukraine in February 2014 and lived in Russia, under sanction by the EU until 2015.
He then moved to Vienna, Austria where he practiced law.
Portnov then returned to his home country, Ukraine, in May 2019, but later fled again.
He has faced down a number of criminal cases – many of which he has won in court.
