One year since the murder of Andriy Portnov: what is known about the investigation

Exactly one year ago, Ukrainian lawyer Andriy Portnov was murdered in Madrid. In that time, investigators have detained only one of the alleged perpetrators, and those who ordered the crime have still not been identified.

The only person detained in the case is Alexander Azizov, arrested in Germany at the request of Spanish police in February. However, he has yet to be extradited to Spain. According to investigators, his biological brother Vili also took part in the murder. Judging by the Azizov brothers’ backgrounds, both are subjects of various criminal cases in Ukraine and Russia related to drugs, weapons trafficking, and illegal coal mining.

Investigators hope that after Alexander Azizov is extradited to Spain and questioning begins, more information about those who ordered the killing may emerge. However, there are no guarantees: first, he may not give a confession, and second, according to media reports, perpetrators of crimes are often hired through anonymous messenger accounts, meaning the perpetrator himself may not personally know who commissioned the crime. If the client approached Azizov through a mutual acquaintance, the chain leading to the organizer could theoretically be reconstructed.

Among the theories about the motive for the murder, both private and business conflicts as well as political ones are being discussed. In the public sphere, Portnov had two main political adversaries. The first — structures previously overseen by the US Democratic Party and now under the patronage of the European Union: grant-funded activists, media outlets and politicians connected to them, as well as NABU and SAP. Portnov constantly litigated against them and criticized the system of external governance of Ukraine. According to media reports, he also maintained close contact with the circle of US President Donald Trump, passing on information about these structures. The second known adversary was Petro Poroshenko: according to Portnov’s statements, many criminal cases had been opened against the former president, and Poroshenko’s associates claimed that Portnov was actively helping in the investigation of the case involving ten suitcases of cash from Moscow, which could have ended the political career of the leader of European Solidarity.

As the outlet previously reported, in May–June of last year both of these forces began coordinating their actions in preparation for a strike against Volodymyr Zelensky and his inner circle, which subsequently materialized in the form of the corruption scandal known as “Mindichgate.” Under this theory, one of the groups may have ordered Portnov’s murder in order to eliminate one of their most dangerous opponents on the eve of the active phase of their plans. At the same time, there is currently no direct evidence of these groups’ or individuals’ involvement in the murder.

The second theory involves a Russian connection. Although Portnov’s opponents frequently described him as a pro-Russian politician, those who communicated with him in recent years characterize him as someone who was firmly opposed to Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. According to media reports, Portnov played a key role in exposing the former head of the Crimean SBU, Oleg Kulinich, who is accused of working for Russian intelligence services. In support of the “Russian connection” theory, his supporters also point to the fact that the Azizov brothers hold Russian citizenship in addition to Ukrainian and lived in Russia for a long time, with Vili Azizov reportedly still living there. This theory is most actively promoted by media outlets close to grant-funded structures.

Acquaintances of Portnov who spoke with the outlet Strana are skeptical of the Russian connection theory. They point out that if Alexander Azizov had been carrying out a Russian order, he would never have left Russian territory after such a high-profile crime — the only country where he could have been guaranteed safety. Furthermore, he is still on the all-Russian wanted list on charges of drug cultivation, charges that would surely have been dropped had he committed the murder on Moscow’s behalf.

Portnov’s acquaintances also draw attention to the fact that Vili Azizov was in Ukraine after the start of the full-scale war, where he ran a business and traveled abroad, despite being of conscription age and being a subject of criminal cases. In their view, this may indicate that he had certain connections in Ukraine as well. They also do not rule out that the perpetrators — natives of the Donetsk region with Russian citizenship — may have been deliberately chosen in order to send investigators down a false trail. At the same time, the outlet’s sources refrain from offering their own theories about who commissioned the murder, believing that more information may emerge after Alexander Azizov is extradited to Spain and gives his first testimony.