Spanish authorities have confirmed the fatal shooting of Andriy Portnov, a former senior Ukrainian official, outside an American school in Madrid’s affluent Pozuelo de Alarcón district early Wednesday morning.

Portnov, 51, was gunned down shortly after dropping off his children at the school around 09:15 local time. Witnesses said he was walking toward his black Mercedes in the school’s parking lot when an unidentified attacker opened fire, shooting him multiple times in the back and head before fleeing into a nearby wooded park.

According to Spanish media, several shots—five or six—were heard by students and parents, with one pupil initially mistaking the gunfire for firecrackers. A woman who rushed to the victim’s side was seen screaming, local newspaper El Mundo reported.

Police have launched a manhunt, deploying drones and a helicopter to search the area. Witnesses described the gunman as a thin man dressed in a blue tracksuit, and reports suggest he may have had an accomplice on a motorcycle. No arrests have been made as of Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency responders confirmed Portnov died at the scene, and his body has been taken for post-mortem examination. The school immediately informed parents that all students were safe and classes were continuing under increased security.

Portnov had a long and controversial political career in Ukraine. A former MP, he served in the administrations of both Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych, the latter a pro-Russian president ousted in 2014 following mass protests. Portnov left Ukraine after Yanukovych’s downfall, returning briefly in 2019 after the election of President Volodymyr Zelensky, only to leave again soon after.

In 2021, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Portnov, accusing him of being a “court fixer” who obstructed judicial reforms and sought to manipulate Ukraine’s legal system for political ends. While he had faced several lawsuits and investigations in Ukraine and abroad—including EU sanctions and a Ukrainian treason probe—all were either overturned or dropped.

The motive for Wednesday’s assassination remains unclear. While Ukrainian intelligence services have been linked to targeted killings in Russian-occupied territories and abroad, previous fatal attacks in Spain have also involved Russian operatives. In February 2024, a Russian helicopter pilot who had defected to Ukraine was shot dead near Alicante, an attack Kyiv attributed to Russian hitmen.

Chioma Kalu

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