Latest news with #AmericanSchoolofMadrid
Winnipeg Free Press
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
An adviser to an ex-Ukrainian president is killed near an American school in Spain, officials say
POZUELO DE ALARCON, Spain (AP) — An adviser to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was shot to death Wednesday outside the American School of Madrid, where at least one of his children was enrolled, Spanish authorities and witnesses said. Andrii Portnov, 51, was shot at 9:15 a.m. (0715 GMT) as students were arriving, Spain's Interior Ministry said. Portnov was a former politician tied closely to Yanukovych, the pro-Moscow president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was ousted in a popular uprising in 2014 after shelving plans to bring the country closer to the European Union and instead deepen ties with President Vladimir Putin's Russia. Yanukovych's ouster in February 2014 followed a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, with dozens of people killed, many by police snipers. Portnov was deputy head of the presidential office in that period and was involved in drafting legislation aimed at punishing participants of the uprising. Ukrainian authorities opened a treason case against him, which was later closed, and he also was the subject of U.S. sanctions involving corruption in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on Portnov's killing. Witnesses said Portnov was shot several times in the head and body by more than one gunman when he was getting into a Mercedes Benz registered to him, police said. The unidentified assailants then fled on foot, and local media reported police helicopters later flew over a nearby park. Portnov died in the parking lot with at least three shots to his body, Madrid's emergency services said. He had one child enrolled at the school, according to a parent and an uncle of students there who spoke with The Associated Press. The school declined to comment. Portnov's past After fleeing Ukraine in 2014, Portnov reportedly lived in Russia in 2015 before relocating to Austria. It wasn't immediately clear when he moved to Spain. In 2018, when pro-Western Petro Poroshenko was president of Ukraine, the country's Security Service, or SBU, opened an investigation against Portnov on suspicion of state treason, alleging his involvement in Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The criminal case was closed in 2019, three months after Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to power. The United States imposed personal sanctions on Portnov in 2021, designating him as someone 'responsible for or complicit in, or (who) has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.' High-profile killings Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there have been a number of killings of high-profile figures linked to Moscow and Kyiv. The killings have included Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist; military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky; and several high-ranking Russian military officers. In those instances, Ukraine denied involvement. One exception was former Ukrainian lawmaker Illia Kyva, who fled to Russia before the invasion and was killed there in 2023. The SBU said in a statement that its chief, Vasyl Maliuk, has said the enemies of Ukraine 'will definitely be held accountable for their crimes.' One killing that prompted speculation of retaliation by Moscow was the shooting death in Spain last year of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who defected to Ukraine in 2023, although there was no independent confirmation of Russia's involvement. A school in shock Police cordoned off a crime scene in a parking lot outside the gate of the American School of Madrid, located in the upscale town of Pozuelo de Alarcón, north of Madrid. Luis Rayo, 19, who lives in a neighboring building, said he was sleeping when he heard gunfire and went to see what happened. One student, who is in 11th grade, said he was 20 minutes into his first class when he and his classmates heard of the shooting. School administrators told students that a man had been shot and pronounced dead outside. 'I thought it was a drill,' he said. 'I was worried because at first I thought it might be a parent of someone I know.' His mother, who is originally from Azerbaijan, said she knew someone through the emigre community with the same first name as the victim, but did not know him well. 'I didn't know there were Ukrainian politicians there,' she said, adding that the man she knew had a son in the fourth grade. 'I was in shock. Like how is it possible that this happens here?' ___ This story has been updated to clarify that the woman from Azerbaijan said she knew someone with the same first name as the victim. It also clarifies that her acquaintance has a son in the fourth grade. ——— Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain, and Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.
Saudi Gazette
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Controversial ex-Ukrainian official shot dead in Madrid
KYIV — The fatal shooting of Andriy Portnov, a former top Ukrainian official, in a Madrid suburb has triggered a wave of speculation and little public sympathy in his home country, where he is widely viewed as a symbol of systemic corruption and Russian influence. Portnov, 51, was gunned down in a parking lot after dropping off his children at the American School of Madrid. Spanish police found him lying face down in gym clothes. While shocking, the killing has not sparked mourning in Ukraine, where media outlets and commentators have focused on his controversial legacy rather than the circumstances of his death. Often referred to as the architect of a judicial system that critics say protected corruption and undermined reform, Portnov held powerful roles during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted during Ukraine's 2014 Maidan Revolution. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration has made no comment on the killing, while some security sources are reportedly distancing Kyiv from involvement. Although Ukraine has carried out targeted killings in Russian-occupied territories and inside Russia, a politically motivated assassination in Spain would mark a significant media have also speculated that the motive may have been personal or financial, rather than critics describe him as a manipulative power broker with deep ties to pro-Kremlin serving as legal adviser to former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, he switched sides in 2010 to join Yanukovych's administration, rising to become deputy head of the presidential was instrumental in shaping Ukraine's legal framework during a time when Western governments, including the U.S., accused his office of manipulating court decisions and planting loyal rights monitors and journalists accuse him of using the courts to silence dissent. 'When people exposed his corruption, he accused them of fake news,' said Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass reporters say he used threats and defamation lawsuits to target media outlets and individual the fall of Yanukovych, Portnov moved to Moscow and was later found to have ties to Kremlin-backed media and intelligence-linked operations. In 2019, he briefly returned to Ukraine before fleeing again in being sanctioned by the U.S. for judicial interference and alleged corrupt activities, Portnov lived openly in Europe in recent years, even enrolling his children in one of Spain's most prestigious private presence in Spain and his death have raised questions about how he continued to move freely despite his theories swirl over whether Russian intelligence, criminal networks, or private enemies were behind the killing, legal expert Mykhailo Zhernakov says Portnov's death should not be mistaken for justice.'Just because he's gone doesn't mean his influence has,' he said, warning that many of the officials Portnov once empowered remain entrenched in Ukraine's legal system.
Dubai Eye
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Ukrainian ex-politician shot dead outside school in Madrid
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a former Ukrainian politician on Wednesday outside a school in a wealthy suburb of Madrid, Spain's Interior Ministry said. Andriy Portnov, 51, was previously a senior aide to a pro-Russian former Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovich, who was ousted in a 2014 popular uprising. Police reached the scene after receiving calls at 9:15 AM (0715 GMT) about a man with gunshot wounds on the street outside the American School of Madrid, in the Pozuelode Alarcon suburb west of the capital, police officials told Reuters. "Several persons shot him in the back and the head and then fled towards a forested area," an Interior Ministry source said. When emergency services arrived they found Portnov dead with at least three gunshot wounds, a spokesperson said. Portnov left for Russia in 2014 and faced investigations in Ukraine over accusations of treason and embezzlement. He was targeted with European Union sanctions, although those and the charges were later dropped. The US Treasury Department put Portnov on its sanctions list in 2021, saying he had "cultivated extensive connections to Ukraine's judicial and law enforcement apparatus through bribery". The American School said it believed the victim was a father of children at the school but was waiting for formal identification by the police, according to a letter sent to parents. It said police were on campus interviewing parents who witnessed the incident. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been several high-profile crimes related to Russia and Ukraine in Spain, which has significant expatriate communities from both countries. In 2022 a retired Spanish civil servant sent six letter bombs to targets around Spain, including to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Ukrainian and US embassies and government offices. Pompeyo Gonzalez Pascual was convicted and jailed for the offences last year. In February 2024, a Russian pilot who had defected to Ukraine with his helicopter was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking garage of his apartment block near Alicante in southeastern Spain.
Irish Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Adviser to former Ukrainian president shot dead in Madrid while on school run
©Evening Standard An adviser to former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych was shot dead when gunmen targeted him outside the American School of Madrid, Spanish authorities have said. Andriy Portnov (52) was identified as the victim by Spain's interior ministry. Register for free to read this story Register and create a profile to get access to our free stories. You'll also unlock more free stories each week.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ukrainian ex-politician shot dead in Madrid
MADRID: Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a former Ukrainian politician Wednesday morning outside a school in a wealthy suburb of Madrid, Spain's interior ministry said. Police received a call about the shooting of a Ukrainian citizen at 9.15am outside the elite American School of Madrid, located in Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid police said. "Several persons shot him in the back and the head and then fled towards a forested area," an interior ministry source said. The victim, Andriy Portnov , 51, was a senior aide to Ukraine's pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovich who was ousted in a 2014 popular uprising. Portnov left for Russia the same year and has faced investigations in Ukraine over accusations of treason and embezzlement, as well as international sanctions, although the charges and EU sanctions were later dropped. The US treasury department put him on sanctions list in 2021. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there have been several high-profile crimes involving Russians and Ukrainians in Spain. Reuters
