Overview

• Andriy Portnov, 51, a former senior aide to ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, was fatally shot outside the American School of Madrid on May 21, 2025.
• Spanish police reported that multiple gunmen fired five shots, hitting Portnov in the head and back, before escaping into a nearby wooded area.
• Portnov had been sanctioned by the U.S. in 2021 for alleged corruption and was previously investigated by Ukraine’s Security Service for treason, though the case was closed in 2019.
• Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Spain has seen a rise in targeted attacks on Russian and Ukrainian expatriates, including letter bombs and assassinations.
• Authorities have launched an investigation, but no arrests have been made, and details about the weapon or motive remain undisclosed.