The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has refused to provide information regarding the border crossing of lawyer and former advisor to ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, Andriy Portnov, shortly before his death in Spain in May 2025. In response to an official request regarding this event, the agency emphasized that such information is restricted.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Details of the Border Service’s Response
“The requested information is classified and pertains to the private life of the individual in question, and its protection from improper dissemination is ensured by the Constitution of Ukraine, as well as the laws of Ukraine ‘On Information’ and ‘On Personal Data Protection.’ Therefore, it may only be disclosed with the individual’s consent or in other cases provided by law… In order to comply with the requirements of current legislation regarding the dissemination of confidential information containing personal data, we inform you that the Main Center for Processing Special Information has no legal grounds to provide the requested information.”
It is known that on May 21, 2025, Andriy Portnov was shot in Spain. Prior to this, he had been under U.S. sanctions since December 2021 for his influence on the judicial system.
Portnov’s Past and Activities
In the past, Andriy Portnov held the positions of advisor and later deputy head of the administration of former president Viktor Yanukovych. From August 27 to October 5, 2018, Portnov headed the pro-Russian television channel NewsOne. Analytical studies indicated that Portnov actively engaged in discrediting the Revolution of Dignity, opposed pro-European reforms, and spread anti-Western messages through internet bots.
According to journalists, on June 3, 2022, Portnov left the territory of Ukraine. Spanish law enforcement is investigating reports of his possible brief visit to Ukraine in May 2025 before his murder. Media reports suggest that shortly before his death, he allegedly visited Ukraine and met with government representatives, including Deputy Head of the President’s Office Oleg Tatarov and Director of the State Bureau of Investigation Oleksiy Sukhachov. No official comments from the Ukrainian side regarding these meetings have been provided at this time.