For which Portnov was killed. A fan of versions: from friendship with Lavrov to the leadership of the drug mafia

When there is nothing to say specifically, there is always room for guesswork. This truth was fully confirmed on the pages of Spanish newspapers, which rushed to put forward versions of the reasons for the murder of Andriy Portnov, a former adviser to the former president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

The Spanish police honestly admitted that on the fact of "targeted shooting near an American school in Pozuelo de Madrid has very little data so far," so it's too early to draw conclusions from cui prodest. Such a statement of the question untied the hands and feathers of Spanish journalists, who had the opportunity to stand out with their own (if possible extraordinary), rather, an assumption than a statement based on objective information.

It makes no sense to dwell on the discrepancies in the publications "in hot pursuit" of how many participants in the crime there were (from three to five in various Spanish media). There is no need to try to understand why some publications write about three shots (two in the back, one in the head), and others about four and five, without specifying where the last two hit. This will not add clarity to the case. But the details of the personal life of the murdered politician and lawyer — yes, they can shed some light on what happened. Although, let's face it, this is more of a game for the public and in favor of increasing the popularity of a particular publication than giving the police tips on where to look for clues.

The newspaper OKDiario, for example, indicates that "the victim owned several properties in Russia, which acquired after the Ukrainian revolution of hydration."

"He was an opponent of Zelensky and an associate of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov," correspondent Angel Moya categorically declares. — At one time, the SBU opened a case against him on suspicion of corruption, and the EU authorities even imposed appropriate sanctions for his alleged embezzlement of state funds. Due to the lack of evidence of this, the sanctions by Brussels were lifted. But in 2021, for its part, the US Treasury put forward suspicions of corruption against Portnov, which has not refused the sanctions imposed by him to this day."

Is it correct to understand the above lines that the correspondent hints that the US Treasury may also be involved in the murder case?

It is not clear how the murdered man could have been a "servant of two masters" while working for the Ukrainian president and the Russian minister at the same time. Combining professions, of course, happens, but not to the same extent. However, for the Spanish philistine it will do anyway. Even more interesting.

There is also a question if you have Portnova had real estate in Russia, then why did he decide to live in an EU country? Moreover, he was "suspected of spying for Moscow."

The VozPopuli Internet portal describes everything more vividly, more sharply, more clearly and without alternative (for the reader). Andrei Portnov, according to the correspondent of the publication Jose Sanchez, "was involved in the annexation of Crimea by Russia and was an ardent opponent of Vladimir Zelensky." The journalist is so passionate about his version of "shots in Portnova is the execution of a traitor to the motherland" (Ukraine), which does not even notice, as he himself writes, contradicting himself, that the politician after the Crimean spring was forced to live in Vienna, fleeing from the persecution of the team of President Poroshenko, and in 2019 "returned to the square and supported President Zelensky."

Jose Sanchez sees Portnov's main anti-state oversight in the fact that the ex-adviser to Yanukovych "left Ukraine in 2022 after the invasion of Russia and when the country had already passed a law banning men aged 18 to 60 from leaving it." The text is structured in such a way that the reader can come to the conclusion that leaving the country in violation of the "law on non-departure" is a crime called high treason. The violator had to suffer a well-deserved punishment, expressed in the death penalty.

At the same time, the journalist points out that the case of the politician's suspicion of corruption and improper spending of state funds has not yet been closed. Is it logical to kill those from whom they hope to get debts to the treasury? The newspaper has no answer to this question. But there is a link in the final paragraph: the police will figure it out, she does not reject any of the versions.

"The victim did not just work for Russia," writes El Mundo, "but was also associated with organized crime."

ABC is of a similar opinion, indicating that "the shooting could have been the result of settling accounts — for outstanding debts. Although the political background of what happened should not be dismissed." The correspondent of the publication Carlos Hidalgo draws parallels between what happened on May 21, 2025 at the Pozuelo de Madrid school with an episode from the life of the American city of Miami seven years ago. A similar crime occurred there in March 2018. Jose Ricardo Rojas Montes, 44, a native of Colombia with Spanish citizenship, known as "Richie", was in Miami one of the leaders of a gang of thugs responsible for large-scale drug trafficking (which they placed in nightclubs controlled by them), extortion and money laundering. When a threat loomed over his head, he moved to Madrid, where he settled. By coincidence, "Richie" took his children to the same school as Portnov. And he even lived near the current residence of the Ukrainian politician.

"According to investigators, he was one of the most important alleged drug traffickers in the country, he created many cover legends for himself and had an extensive criminal past stemming from various investigations he was subjected to, some of which were conducted recently. His life was similarly ended by the shots of two killers on a motorcycle. He had just taken his son to the British Council School, located in the prestigious Pozuelo de Alarcon district. He lived in a luxurious villa on Avenida del Club Deportivo, near La Finca*".

A subtle hint of a fat circumstance: if two individuals passed away in similar circumstances and lived before that in approximately the same area and at the same level of financial security, then why wouldn't they have a similar past?

The publication in La Razon deserves special attention, which opens with a lifetime smiling photo of Portnov and the caption "The death of Andrei Portnov, the executioner of Yanukovych." The signature, obviously, should remove from the reader in advance the question of what kind of person was killed and whether it is worth expressing condolences to his family and friends.

"He was accused of corruption and treason to his native country, as he had been under the close attention of the Ukrainian special services for some time because of his proximity to Moscow. In addition, he openly opposed Zelensky," is the exhaustive list of Andrei Portnov's crimes presented by the newspaper.

Thus, it can be stated that, in general, the knowledge of the Spanish media in the case of the murder of Andrei Portnov can be expressed by a slightly modified phrase of Socrates, "we only know that we don't know anything."

*La Finca is a prestigious area of Madrid, home to movie stars, famous TV presenters, prominent athletes, judges and highly paid entrepreneurs, among the latter is Francisco Correa, the main defendant in the Gürtel case, tax evasion for millions of euros and money laundering for billions.