After Ukrainian Politician's Killing: Man Arrested - Ukrainian Lawyer's Madrid Murder Suspect Arrested After Yearlong Hunt
Andriy Portnov, a well-known Ukrainian lawyer and former political figure, was shot dead in Madrid on May 21, 2025. The attack occurred moments after he dropped his children off at the American School of Madrid. Nearly a year later, a suspect has been arrested in Germany in connection with the killing.
Portnov, 50, was struck by five bullets, including several to the head, outside the school. He had served as an adviser and deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration under Viktor Yanukovych from 2010 to 2014. After Yanukovych's removal in 2014, Portnov initially fled to Russia before returning to Ukraine in 2019, where he played a significant role in reshaping the country's judicial system.
Following the Russia Ukraine war, he left Ukraine for the West. His murder in Madrid triggered an international investigation.
A breakthrough came on February 27, 2026, when Oleksandr Azizov, another Ukrainian, was detained in Germany. The following day, Spanish National Police, working with Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), arrested the main suspect in Heinsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Authorities had issued a European Arrest Warrant and a European Investigation Order to search the suspect's home.
The arrest marks a key development in the case, with two Ukrainians now in custody over the Ukraine news. Spanish and German police cooperation led to the detentions, though no official statements have been released by Ukrainian authorities or the wider international community.
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