MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Andrey Portnov, a former adviser to Ukraine’s ex-President Viktor Yanukovich, who was killed in Spain on May 21 visited Ukraine and met with Ukrainian officials on May 17 and 18, the Ukrainskaya Pravda media outlet said, citing sources.
According to the outlet, Portnov met with senior officials in charge of law enforcement agencies.
Ukrainian blogger and journalist Anatoly Shariy, who lives in Spain, wrote on his Telegram channel earlier that Portnov came to Kiev to meet with Vladimir Zelensky and Andrey Yermak. According to Shariy, Portnov tried to blackmail them, claiming he had compromising evidence that he would make public unless a deal was made.
Portnov was shot and killed in Posuelo de Alarcon, located within the Autonomous Community of Madrid early on May 21. The local press has given varying data on how many people could have been involved in the murder. According to the ABC newspaper, the incident occurred after Portnov dropped his children at school, one of the most prestigious one in the area. The newspaper cited intelligence sources as saying that Portnov’s murder could be linked with organized crime and could have been committed by Ukrainians. Later, the El Pais newspaper said that it is not ruled out that it was a contract killing.