Andrii Port’s murder leaves unanswered questions and little compassion

Andrii Porton’s murder in the suburbs of Madrid shocked Ukrainians, but did not accurately launch the spillage of sadness.

A controversial former official just rejected his children to the American school when he was shot several times in the parking lot.

The image of his lifeless body lying face down at the gym at the gym marked the end of life synonymous with Ukrainian corruption and Russian influence.

Ukrainian media discussed frequent threats to 51-year threat to journalists, as well as its huge impact under the last president in Viktor Ianukovich country.

“The man who called for the killing of political opponents suddenly got what he wanted from others,” said Reporter Oleksandr Holubov. The news website of Ukrainian justice even called it “Devil’s lawyer”.

Rare results of restraint came from Porton’s once a political rival series Vlasenko, a Prophet who said, “You can’t kill people. When we talk about someone’s death, we must remain human.”

Portnov was controversial and did not like widely. The motives for his murder may seem obvious, but his death was still unanswered.

Before you enter Ukrainian politics, Portnov launched a law firm. He worked with the then Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshen until 2010. years, before it happened that he brought Yanukovich’s camp when he won the elections.

“It was a big story about betrayal,” said Ukrainian journalist Kristina Berdinskikh. “Because Tymoshenko was a prose politician, and Ianukovich pro-Russian.”

The advisor became the first deputy head of the country and founded the National Criminal Code in 2012. For Him, his critics say that his rise was less about politics and more about power and influence.

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

After Combustion of the Soviet Union in the early 1990sUkraine inherited the judicial system of desperate needs for reform. Mikhailo Zhernakov, legal expert and head of Dejura Foundation believes that Portnov gave it to cover the illegal schemes and masks Russian attempts to control the country.

“He was the kingdom, master and architect of this corrupt legal system that was designed at that time that the listening to the clutch,” he says.

Over the decade, Portnov would sue journalists who wrote negative stories about him through the courts and judges he controlled. His attempts to control the justice system would lead him to sanction him now.

At that time, Washington accused the advisor to appoint loyal officials in high positions for his favor, as well as the “purchase of court decisions”.

Portnov later continued activists who participated in Ukraine’s girlfriend revolution, which Toppled Viktor Yanukovich from the authorities and forced him to avoid land in Russia.

“He used sexual threats,” says Oksana Romaniuk, remembering other interactions of journalists with portnow.

As the director of the Institute for Mass Information, she monitors a freelance speech in Ukraine.

Whenever the given report was published, the reaction was known and consistent. “When people exposed their corruption, he accused them of fake news,” she says.

“Even when journalists had documents and testimonies that support the allegations, it was impossible to win lawsuits in court. It was impossible to defend himself. It was a rotten system.”

Andrii Pornov eventually settled in Moscow after his old boss Ianukovich escaped in 2014. years. The exploration reporter Maksim Savchuk after that researched his connections in Moscow, as well as his extensive property portfolio.

“He replied with the words I don’t want to quote, degrading about my mother,” she remembers remembering. “It’s his character of his character; he is a very vindictive person.”

Even after leaving Ukraine, Portnov continued to try to influence Ukrainian policy control over Pro-Kremlin TV channels.

Returned in 2019. years, just to escape again with Full-scale invasion in 2022 years.

The irony of Porton is eventually settled in Spain and sent its children in the prestigious American school was not lost on many.

In addition to the unusual enthusiasm in Porn’s death, there were infinite speculations about who was responsible.

“It could have been Russians because he knew so many things,” Mihailo Zhernakov’s legal currents.

“He was involved in so many shady Russian operations, it could be them or other criminal groups. He managed to annoy a lot of people,” he says.

Despite the motives that are clearer from this side, the Ukrainian security sources seem to be trying to distance themselves from the murder.

Kiev previously committed killers in Russian-occupied territory and in Russia itself, but not in Spain.

Some Spanish media reports suggest that its murder was not political, but more about “economic reasons or revenge”.

“You can imagine how many people need to be questioned to narrow suspects,” Mask Savchuk’s thoughts. “Because this person has a thousand and one enemies.”

In Ukraine, Portnov considered someone who helped Russia form the foundations for his invasion. Once upon 2022, only the general repulsion of it intensifies.

Despite that, Mikhailo Zhernakov hopes that his death is also an opportunity for broader judicial reforms.

“Just because he left does not mean that his influence has”, warns. “Because many people who appointed or helped get the job still in the system.”

Additional reporting Hanne Porgrus.