Adviser to Ukrainian ex-President Yanukovych shot dead outside American School in Spain

MADRID AP Spanish government announced that an adviser to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was shot dead on Wednesday when gunmen targeted him outside the American School of Madrid Andrii Portnov was identified as the victim by Spain s Interior Ministry He was shot at a m local time GMT bureaucrats explained Local media communicated that he was killed after dropping his children off for class Observers released that Portnov was shot several times in the head and body by more than one gunman when he was getting into a bicycle police declared The assailants then fled on foot into a wooded area police reported Police cordoned off a crime scene in a parking lot around meters feet outside the gate of the American School of Madrid Portnov is a former Ukrainian politician closely tied to Yanukovych having served as deputy head of the presidential office from to During Yanukovych s presidency Portnov was widely viewed as a pro-Russia political figure and was involved in drafting rule aimed at persecuting participants of the revolution in Ukraine Luis Rayo lives in a building next to the school and reported that he was sleeping when he heard the sound of gunfire I heard five bullets and then came here to see what happened Rayo disclosed After fleeing Ukraine in Portnov reportedly lived in Russia in before relocating to Austria It wasn t at once clear when he moved to Spain In Ukraine s Guard Institution or SBU opened an research against him on suspicion of state treason alleging his involvement in Russia s illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula The criminal event was closed in In the United States imposed personal sanctions on Portnov designating him as someone responsible for or complicit in or who has directly or indirectly engaged in corruption including the misappropriation of state assets the expropriation of private assets for personal gain corruption related to establishment contracts or the extraction of natural guidance or bribery Joseph Wilson communicated from Barcelona Spain Illia Novikov contributed to this review from Kyiv Ukraine Source