Spanish and German police have arrested a suspect in the killing of Ukrainian lawyer and former official Andriy Portnov, who was shot dead on May 21, 2025, outside a school in Pozuelo de Alarcón, near Madrid, Spanish Policía Nacional stated Wednesday. The man was detained in Heinsberg, Germany, and is believed to be the gunman who carried out the shooting, Spanish police said, adding that German federal criminal police assisted in the arrest.
Portnov served in the administration of pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych between 2010 and 2014 and lived alternately abroad and in Ukraine after the EuroMaidan revolution. The United States sanctioned him in 2021 over corruption allegations. Spanish police said a European Arrest Warrant and a European Investigation Order have been issued to allow a search of the suspect’s residence, and that the investigation remains open to fully clarify the circumstances of the killing.
NOTE: Participation of Spanish police clarified in the lede.
