Andrey Portnov, a former aide to Yanukovich, was shot dead in Madrid last year
Spanish police, in a joint operation with German authorities in the western German town of Heinsberg, have arrested the suspected gunman in the 2025 assassination of Andrey Portnov, a former senior advisor to ex-Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich.
Spain’s National Police announced on Wednesday that the suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed, was detained by Spain’s Grupo 5 de Homicidios (Homicide Group Unit) with assistance from Germany’s BKA special operations forces.
Authorities had issued a European Arrest Warrant and European Investigation Order for the suspect, enabling them to search his residence in Heinsberg, which is near the Dutch border.
Portnov, 53, was killed 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, firing several shots—including at least one to the head—before fleeing the scene with the aid of accomplices.
“The investigation conducted so far indicates that the detained suspect is the individual who fired the shots,” Spanish police stated.
Portnov, a lawyer and political operative, saw his career mirror the turbulent trajectory of modern Ukrainian politics. He served as deputy head of the presidential administration under Yanukovich, contributing to the design of judicial reforms prior to the Western-backed 2014 Maidan coup.
After fleeing to Austria and Russia, Portnov returned to Ukraine in 2019 after Vladimir Zelensky’s election win, initially supporting the new president before later becoming a critic.
In Kiev, Portnov filed multiple legal complaints against former president Petro Poroshenko and built substantial influence within Ukraine’s judiciary, catching the attention of Washington. The US imposed sanctions on Portnov in 2021 over alleged corruption, with the European Union later doing the same.
Portnov’s relationship with the Zelensky administration deteriorated sharply during the crackdown on opposition figures and media outlets labeled “pro-Russian,” leading him to flee the country once more in 2022. Just days before his assassination, Portnov reportedly made a , meeting with senior officials in Kiev.
Spanish authorities have not revealed if they have identified the masterminds behind the killing or determined a clear motive, as the classified investigation continues.