Portnov was an adviser to Yanukovych, who fled the country, and was responsible for legal support for his activities. From April 2010 to April 2011, he was deputy head of the Administration, and in January – February 2014, first deputy head of the Administration. After the Revolution of Dignity, Portnov went abroad, to Ukraine returned in May 2019. In June 2022 Portnov left Ukraine again.
Since December 2021, Portnov has been under US sanctions. They were brought against the former deputy head of the Presidential Administration for bribery in the judicial and law enforcement apparatus of Ukraine, using his influence for bribery in Ukrainian courts, as well as for “undermining reform efforts.” He was called the “gray eminence” of the judiciary of Ukraine.
On the morning of May 21, 2025, he was shot dead in Spain near an elite school in Madrid, where he brought the children. The media wrote that the attack could have been carried out by a group of people. They fired five shots and fled the scene. The body of a murdered politician were going to return to Ukraine.
Spanish police suggested that Portnov's murder may be related to the war in Ukraine. Investigators are also considering a version of settling scores related to organized crime. On May 29, the UP reported that Spain refused create a joint working group initiated by Ukraine to investigate the murder of Portnov. Spanish investigators do not exclude the possibility of a “trace of the Ukrainian special services,” the publication’s source admitted. According to their version, by initiating participation in the investigation, Kyiv tried to gain access to the investigation materials, phones and other gadgets of Portnov, which may contain sensitive information for the Ukrainian side.
Ukrainian law enforcement officials stated that are conducting their investigation.
