Military expert suggests Portnov may have faked his death

This was stated by military expert, co-chairman of the Prava Sprava NGO Dmytro Sniehyriov on Espreso TV

"I do not rule out the possibility of staging his death, as such cases have occurred many times in history. I don't rule out that Portnov might have faked his death, knowing that he was in the sights of Ukrainian law enforcement and special services," Sniheiryov said.

According to the expert, Portnov deliberately chose Spain for his residence.

"Spain is within the operational interests of Russian intelligence agencies. Many so-called political figures from the ex-Yanukovych regime either found refuge in Spain or have real estate there. There are many interesting figures living in this country. Even the murder of a Russian pilot, who defected to the Ukrainian Defense Forces by hijacking a helicopter, also took place in Spain.

So there is quite a significant influence from both Russian criminal elements and Russian intelligence services in Spain. But let's wait for official information from Spanish intelligence services before commenting on Portnov’s possible death," Sniheiryov added.

• On May 21, former adviser to the fourth President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, Andriy Portnov, was shot dead in Madrid, Spain.
• Military expert and former SBU employee (2004-2015) Ivan Stupak noted that Andriy Portnov was a notorious figure who destabilized the situation in Ukraine from the outside.