A shocking incident unfolded in Madrid as Andriy Portnov, 51, a former high-ranking official from Ukraine, was fatally shot outside an American school in Pozuelo de Alarcón. Portnov had just dropped his children off at the school and was walking to his Mercedes car when an unidentified gunman unleashed several rounds before fleeing into a nearby wooded area. Witnesses reported hearing five to six shots, which some initially mistook for firecrackers.
Portnov had a tumultuous political career, having served as a deputy head in the administration of ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Initially an MP in Yulia Tymoshenko's party, he defected to Yanukovych's team following the latter's presidential victory in 2010. After the 2014 revolution, which saw Yanukovych ousted, Portnov left Ukraine but returned in 2019 after Volodymyr Zelensky's election. He faced legal troubles, having been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for allegations tied to judicial corruption.
Emergency services reported multiple gunshot wounds to Portnov's back and head but were unable to confirm the motive for the attack, which occurred around 9:15 AM local time as students were entering the school. Police launched a search operation involving drones and a helicopter for the gunman, described by witnesses as a thin man in a blue tracksuit, possibly with accomplices on a motorbike.
At the scene, parents were reassured that all children in the school were safe, while Portnov's body was removed for a post-mortem examination. The incident harkens back to a similar shooting in 2018, where a Colombian drug trafficker was killed outside a British Council school nearby. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the identity and motive of the attacker, as this high-profile assassination raises significant concerns in both Ukraine and Spain about political violence and international ramifications.
