Ukrainian top officials confered with pro-Russian figure Portnov the day before his assassination, according to UP sources
Andrii Portnov, a former Ukrainian political figure with ties to pro-Russian policies, visited Ukraine a few days before his tragic death in Madrid. Sources confirm that Portnov was in the country on May 17-18, during which he reportedly met with high-ranking officials, including Oleh Tatarov, Deputy Head of the President's Office, and Oleksii Sukhachov, Director of the State Bureau of Investigation.
The nature and purpose of these meetings remain unknown, as all sources were unable to provide details. It should be noted that Andrii Portnov was a deputy head of the presidential administration under pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych from 2010 to 2014. He was implicated in various controversies, including allegations of corruption, and fled Ukraine following the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. He returned to Ukraine in 2019, on the eve of the inauguration of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Portnov was also known for his influence over the Ukrainian court system. In 2018, criminal proceedings were initiated against him for treason, but the case was reportedly closed in 2019 by the Security Service of Ukraine. In 2019, investigative journalists released recordings of conversations from the office of judge Pavlo Vovk, suggesting illegal influence by Portnov, Vovk, and then head of the President's Office, Andrii Bohdan, in the dismissal of the head of the Constitutional Court, Stanislav Shevchuk.
In April 2020, Portnov allegedly blackmailed Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, threatening to disclose compromising information about her illegal activities. In the same year, Oleksandr Sokolov, then acting director of the State Bureau of Investigations, acknowledged the existence of "influence groups" within law enforcement agencies that disclosed confidential information and investigation details to former officials, including Portnov.
Portnov was shot dead on May 21, 2021, near an American school in Madrid, Spain. The circumstances surrounding his assassination are still under investigation by Spanish authorities. The US government has imposed sanctions against Portnov and his charitable foundation.
[References removed for brevity]
The recent meetings between Andrii Portnov and high-ranking Ukrainian officials, including Oleh Tatarov and Oleksii Sukhachov, have sparked interest in the political circles, given Portnov's complex history of controversies and ties to pro-Russian policies. As the government wrestles with the complexities of Crime-and-Justice and General-News, the nature and purpose of these secretive meetings remain a topic of speculation and intrigue.
