Andri Portov’s murder leaves questions unanswered and a little sympathy

The murder of Andri Portov in a suburb of Madrid shocked Ukrainians, but did not cause accurate pouring of grief.

The controversial former employee had just cut his children at the US school when he was shot several times in the parking lot.

The image of his lifeless body, lying down with a fitness set, marks the end of life synonymous with Ukrainian corruption and Russian influence.

Ukraine’s media are discussing the frequent threats of a 51-year-old youth for journalists, as well as his huge influence with the country’s last pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.

“A man who called for the murder of political opponents suddenly received what he wants from others,” said reporter Olexander Holubov. The News Website Ukraine Pravda even called him the Devil’s Defender.

Rare words of restraint come from the former political rival of Portten Sergius Vlasenko, a deputy who said, “You cannot kill people. When we discuss the death of someone, we must remain people.”

Portov was controversial and widely disliked. The motives for his murder may seem obvious, but his death has still left questions unanswered.

Before joining Ukrainian policy, Portov heads the law firm. He worked with the then Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko until 2010 before giving up Yanukovych’s camp when he won the election.

“It was a great story of betrayal,” recalls Ukrainian journalist Christina Berdinsk. “Because Tymoshenko was a pro-West politician and Yanukovych pro-Russian.”

The advisor became the first deputy manager of the presidential service in the country and created a National Criminal Code in 2012. It claims that his critics his ascent is less for politics and more for power and influence.

“He was just a good lawyer, everyone knew he was very smart,” Kristina tells me.

After Soviet Union collapse in the early 1990sUkraine inherited a judicial system in a desperate need for reform. Mihail Zhenakov, a legal expert and head of the Dejure Foundation, believes that Portov has reworked him in order for the government to cover up illegal schemes and mask Russian attempts to control the country.

“He was Kingpin, Mastermind and the architect of this corrupt legal system designed to serve the pro -Russian administration at the time,” he says.

For a decade, Portov will judge journalists who have written negative stories about him through the courts and judges he controls. His attempts to control the judiciary would lead to the fact that he would be sanctioned by the United States.

At that time, Washington accused the advisor of placing loyal employees of senior positions in his favor, as well as “buying court decisions”.

Later Portov pursued activists who participated in Ukraine of the Maidan Revolution, which Warm Victor Yanukovych From power and forced him to escape from the country to Russia.

“He uses sexual threats,” says Ozna Romanuk, who remembers the interaction of her and other journalists with Portov.

As a director of the Institute of Mass information, she monitors the free speech in Ukraine.

Every time a damn report was published, the reaction was known and consistent. “When people exposed his corruption, he accused them of fake news,” she says.

“Even when journalists had documents and evidence supporting the allegations, it was impossible to win court cases in court. It was impossible to defend yourself. It was a rotten system.”

Andri Portov eventually settled in Moscow after his old boss Yanukovych escaped in 2014. Investigative reporter Maxim Savchuk subsequently investigated his connections with Moscow, as well as his extensive property portfolio there.

“He replied in words I don’t want to quote, shameful to my mother,” he recalls. “This is a trait of his character; he is a very vengeful person.”

Even after leaving Ukraine, Portov still tried to influence Ukrainian policy by taking control of the Prolamian television channel Newsone.

He returned in 2019 just to escape again with A full -scale invasion of 2022.S

Portov’s irony eventually settled in Spain and sends her children to a prestigious American school not lost by many.

Along with the undisguised enjoyment of Portov’s death, there is endless speculation who is responsible.

“They could have been the Russians because he knew so many things,” proposed legal expert Mihail Zhenakov.

“He was involved in so many shady Russian operations that they or other criminal groups could be. He managed to annoy many people,” he says.

Although the reasons are clearer on this side of the border, Ukrainian security sources seem to be trying to distance themselves from the murder.

Previously, Kiev had committed murders in occupied Russian territory and in Russia itself, but not in Spain.

Some reports in the Spanish media suggest that his murder was not political, but rather than “economic reasons or revenge”.

“You can imagine how many people need to be questioned in order to narrow the suspects,” said Masks Savchuk. “Because this person has a thousand and one enemies.”

In Ukraine, Portov is regarded as someone who helped Russia form the foundations for its invasion. Once upon a time, the general dislike of it only intensified after 2022.

However, Mikhail Zhenakov hopes that his death is also an opportunity for wider court reforms.

“Just because it doesn’t mean, it doesn’t mean its impact,” he warns. “Because many of the people he has appointed or helped get a job are still in the system.”

Additional reporting by Hanna Hormunal.