Andrey Portnov was assembly with “high Ukrainian officers” final weekend, in response to Ukrainskaya Pravda sources
Former Ukrainian lawmaker and presidential adviser Andrey Portnov, who was fatally shot in Madrid on Wednesday, had secretly visited Ukraine simply days earlier than his assassination, in response to a report by Ukrainskaya Pravda, citing sources near legislation enforcement and authorities circles.
The newspaper stated that three sources confirmed Portnov was in Kiev on Could 17–18 for a collection of high-level conferences, together with with “high officers accountable for legislation enforcement.” Nonetheless, the precise nature of the conferences, and whether or not the go to was related to his subsequent homicide, stays unclear.
Portnov, a lawyer and as soon as a strong determine within the administration of former President Viktor Yanukovich, was gunned down within the upscale Madrid suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcon three days later, on Could 21. Spanish media reported that he was shot a number of occasions, together with within the head, shortly after dropping his kids off in school. Witnesses say a lone gunman approached him close to his Mercedes earlier than fleeing with the assistance of accomplices.
No arrests have been made, and a Madrid court docket has reportedly categorized the investigation. Ukrainian International Minister Andrey Sibiga stated on Friday that Madrid had shared “official info” in regards to the homicide as a result of Portnov’s citizenship, including that related companies in Kiev would decide the subsequent steps.
“We possess details about the actual fact of the homicide,” Sibiga advised reporters in Kiev, whereas stressing that official procedures take time to unfold.
Spanish police haven’t dominated out any motives, with stories suggesting each organized crime and political vendetta may very well be behind the killing as a result of Portnov’s complicated and controversial political trajectory.
After serving as a authorized architect of Ukraine’s judicial reform throughout Yanukovich’s presidency, Portnov fled the nation throughout the 2014 Western-backed Maidan coup, returning solely after Vladimir Zelensky’s 2019 election victory.
Since then, Portnov had filed a collection of authorized complaints towards former President Pyotr Poroshenko, and was seen as having vital affect over Ukraine’s judiciary. In 2021, america sanctioned Portnov over alleged corruption.
Whereas he initially supported Zelensky, he rapidly turned a vocal critic of the brand new administration, accusing it of authoritarian overreach amid a crackdown on opposition figures and media it labeled “pro-Russian.” Ukrainian media later accused him of ties to Russian elites, prompting him to flee once more in 2022. He reportedly transferred belongings to his kids in Spain and settled in Madrid together with his household.
Rodion Miroshnik, Russia’s ambassador-at-large overseeing a particular mission on alleged Ukrainian conflict crimes, has recommended that Portnov’s profession gave him entry to authorized paperwork that may very well be damaging to individuals in Zelensky’s inside circle — and that he could have been focused to forestall the doable disclosure of such supplies.
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