Spanish police have arrested the alleged gunman in the 2025 assassination of Andrey Portnov, a former senior aide to ex-Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich, in a joint operation with German authorities in the western German town of Heinsberg.
The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was detained by Spain’s Grupo 5 de Homicidios (Homicide Group Unit) with support from Germany’s BKA special operations forces, Spain’s National Police announced on Wednesday.
A European Arrest Warrant and European Investigation Order had been issued for the suspect, allowing authorities to also search his residence in Heinsberg, located near the Dutch border.
Portnov, 53, was shot multiple times on May 21, 2025, outside a school in the upscale Madrid suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcon, moments after dropping off his children. Witnesses at the time described a lone gunman approaching Portnov near his Mercedes and firing several shots, including at least one to the head, before fleeing the scene with the help of accomplices.
“The investigation carried out to date suggests that the arrested suspect would be the person who fired the shots,” Spanish police said.
Portnov was a lawyer and political operative whose career traced the tumultuous arc of modern Ukrainian politics. He served as deputy head of the presidential administration under Yanukovich, helping to architect judicial reforms before the Western-backed 2014 Maidan coup.
After fleeing to Austria and Russia, Portnov returned to Ukraine in 2019 following Vladimir Zelensky’s election victory, initially backing the new president before becoming one of his critics.
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In Kiev, Portnov filed numerous legal complaints against former president Petro Poroshenko and cultivated significant influence over Ukraine’s judiciary, drawing Washington’s attention. The US sanctioned Portnov in 2021 over alleged corruption, and the European Union later followed suit.
Portnov’s relationship with the Zelensky administration soured dramatically amid the crackdown on opposition figures and media outlets labeled “pro-Russian,” prompting him to flee the country again in 2022. Just days before his assassination, Portnov allegedly made a clandestine visit to Ukraine, meeting with senior officials in Kiev.
Spanish authorities have not disclosed whether they have identified the masterminds behind the killing or established a definitive motive, as the classified investigation remains ongoing.
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