A Ukrainian lawyer and former politician has been shot de@d by a motorbike-riding assassin while dropping his daughter off at a prestigious American school in Madrid, Spain.

Andriy Portnov was sh0t five times moments after dropping off his child in the upmarket Pozuelo district of the Spanish capital.

Police reportedly received the call about the sho0ting at 9.15 a.m. (0715 GMT) local time, the Madrid police told Reuters, without identifying the victim.

The man was said to have been shot five times as he took his children to the school when he was sh0t. His body was still at the scene nearly two hours after the shooting and will be only be removed following authorisation from a judge.

Former Ukrainian politician shot de@d while dropping off his children at prestigious American School in Spain

Sources described the k!lling as an ‘ajuste de cuenta’ – which translates into English as a ‘settling of scores’ or ‘revenge killing.’

Portnov was a senior aide to Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovich who was ousted in 2014 during the Revolution of Dignity.

He fled Ukraine for Russia, though later returned in 2021 – just one year before Vladimir Putin invaded the country.

It was reported in July 2022 that Portnov had left Ukraine despite a travel ban for military-age males. It was not immediately clear how long he had been living in Spain.

Last year, he won a defamation case against several Ukrainian outlets who described him as a ‘pro-Russian politician… infamous for his open support for Russia.’

In 2021, he was sanctioned by the US for corruption, with the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) writing of him: ‘Widely known as a court fixer, Portnov was credibly accused of using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine’s courts and undermining reform efforts.

‘As of 2019, Portnov took steps to control the Ukrainian judiciary, influence associated legislation, sought to place loyal officials in senior judiciary positions, and purchase court decisions.

‘In mid-2019, Portnov colluded with a high ranking Ukrainian government official to shape the country’s higher legal institutions to their advantage and influence Ukraine’s Constitutional Court.

‘Additionally, Portnov has been involved in an attempt to influence the Ukrainian Prosecutor General.’

This morning’s shooting will be investigated by a specialist police group called the Brigada de Información, dubbed Spain’s secret police in the fight against terrorism and hate crimes.

Spanish police have yet to confirm the name of the victim, which is widely circulating in the Spanish press.

A spokesman for the National Police in Madrid said this morning: ‘All we can confirm is that a man has been shot dead outside a school in Pozuelo de Alarcon.

‘We received a call around 9.15am. There was nothing emergency responders could do to save the victim.

‘An investigation has been launched and is ongoing.’