On the eve of the tragic event: what is known about Andriy Portnov’s meetings in Madrid and Ukraine
Significant facts that emerged before the assassination drew considerable public interest and speculation among analysts. Specifically, according to Ukrainian media sources, in the period leading up to the tragic event — a few days before the murder — former Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, now a shadow judicial strategist and close associate of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, Andriy Portnov, was in Madrid and had active contacts with Ukrainian high-ranking officials. According to information disseminated by “Ukrainian Pravda,” on the eve of the tragedy, Portnov traveled specifically to Ukraine, where he was a guest from May 17 to May 18. During these days, he allegedly met with several prominent figures in the Ukrainian government, including Oleg Tatarov — Deputy Head of the Presidential Office and one of the most influential figures in the law enforcement system — as well as Oleksiy Sukhachov — the official director of the State Bureau of Investigation. These meetings sparked heightened interest and speculation that they involved discussions of important, secretive, or compromising topics that could influence subsequent events. Sources close to the interviewees deny any specific details regarding the subjects of these conversations. They confirmed Portnov’s presence in Ukraine but did not comment on the nature of the meetings or their possible significance for future developments. It is emphasized that information about these meetings has been confirmed by independent sources and remains the subject of active conjecture to this day. At the same time, it is worth noting that Portnov's visit attracted significant public interest, as it coincided with serious events occurring in the country that could be related to various political and legal maneuvers. Nonetheless, officials and experts emphasize that there is currently no concrete evidence linking these meetings to the subsequent tragic events, and all related information remains speculative. Thus, on the eve of Andriy Portnov’s murder, he again became a focus of media and analyst attention as a person who might have had information or potentially influenced Ukraine’s political and law enforcement landscape. For now, all efforts to clarify the details of these meetings and their connection remain without clear answers, overshadowing the events and prompting new theories and hypotheses.