In a tragic incident, a former Ukrainian politician was shot and killed outside a prestigious school in a wealthy Madrid suburb, as reported by Spain’s Interior Ministry.
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Authorities received an emergency call regarding the shooting at 9:15 AM local time, specifically outside the elite American School of Madrid, situated in Pozuelo de Alarcon. Eyewitnesses revealed that “several individuals shot him in the back and the head before fleeing into a nearby wooded area,” according to a source from the Interior Ministry.
The victim, identified as Andriy Portnov, 51, held the position of senior aide to Ukraine’s pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovich, who was removed from power during a popular uprising in 2014.
The U.S. Treasury Department added Portnov to its sanctions list in 2021, characterizing him as someone who “cultivated extensive connections to Ukraine’s judicial and law enforcement apparatus through bribery.”
Police arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the call, just past 9 AM local time, to address the unfolding situation.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several high-profile incidents involving Russian and Ukrainian individuals have occurred in Spain, which is home to significant expatriate communities from both nations. This backdrop has seen a surge in criminal activity, including events such as the dispatch of six letter bombs in 2022 to various targets in Spain, including Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Ukrainian and U.S. embassies, and government offices.
In a striking case, a retired Spanish civil servant was sentenced to prison after social media posts indicated a bias in favor of Russia. In February 2024, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with his helicopter was found dead, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, in the parking garage of his apartment building near Alicante.
Such events highlight the ongoing volatility and tensions surrounding the ongoing conflict, underscoring the complexities faced by those involved.
“In times of crisis, the truth becomes firmer than ever,” an insightful observer once noted, emphasizing the challenges of navigating such turbulent waters.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
