Ukrainian ex-politician shot dead outside American school in Madrid

An unidentified gunman or gunmen shot and killed former Ukrainian politician Andriy Portnov on Wednesday morning outside a school in a wealthy suburb of Madrid, a source close to the police investigation said.

Police received a call about the shooting of a Ukranian citizen at 9.15 a.m. (0715 GMT) local time outside the elite American School of Madrid, located in Pozuelode Alarcon, Madrid police said, without identifying the victim.

Portnov was a senior aide to Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovich who was ousted in the 2014 Euromaidan revolution.

Since the start of the Russian and Ukraine conflict in February 2022, there have been several crimes involving high-profile Russian and Ukrainians in Spain, which has significant expatriate populations from both countries.

In November and December 2022, six letter bombs were sent to high-profile targets around Spain, including to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, government offices, a European Union satellite company and the U.S. Embassy. 

A 76-year-old retired Spanish civil servant whose social media searches suggested sympathy for Russia was jailed for the offences.

In April 2022, a Russian businessman tied to Russia's gas company Novatek was found dead in an apparent suicide together with his wife and daughter who had suffered stab wounds.

In February 2024, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with his helicopter was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking garage of his apartment block near Alicante.