The expert pointed out the political nature of the murder of ex-Yanukovych adviser Portnov.

The murder of Andrei Portnov, an ex-adviser to former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, in Spain is political. Political analyst Sergey Chepik told Izvestia about this on May 21.

"From my point of view, it is a political murder, because a Ukrainian politician was shot dead. Not a pro—Russian, but a Ukrainian politician," he said.

The expert stressed that neither the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, nor the Ukrainian authorities commented on the murder of Portnov, who was a Ukrainian citizen. He added that the Russian-language segment of the European press also barely mentions this event.

"Even the European courts have established that Portnov is not a pro-Russian politician, he won these courts. Thanks to these courts, the sanctions of the European Union (EU) were lifted from him," noted Chepik.

According to him, it is difficult to say who needed Portnov's murder. At the moment, the investigation is considering two motives: either criminal or political murder.

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Portnov's murder was reported on May 21 by Spanish radio Cadena SER. He was shot dead near Madrid. After the coup in Ukraine, Portnov lived abroad. In 2014, Portnov left Ukraine, and returned in 2019, supporting Zelensky in the presidential election. After the start of the special military operation, he left the country again and settled in Spain.

The tailor was 51 years old. In the 2000s, he served as a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and in 2010 he became deputy head of the presidential Administration. At that time, Portnov was responsible for the courts and the law enforcement system.