Journalists have revealed the names of the likely suspects in the murder of former Deputy Head of the Administration of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, Andriy Portnov. According to the investigation, the crime may involve brothers Oleksandr and Veli Azizov — natives of Donetsk region who have lived in Russia for an extended period.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Facts of Obtaining Russian Passports Established
Journalists have found that Oleksandr and Veli Azizov obtained Russian citizenship passports in 2023-2024. Oleksandr Azizov’s document, issued in June 2023 in Rostov region, remains valid, as confirmed by the Russian online service “Gosuslugi.” Veli Azizov’s passport, obtained in April 2024 in the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk, is currently invalid, as is his previous Russian passport from 2015. However, the invalidity of the passport does not guarantee a withdrawal from Russian citizenship.
Investigation and Circumstances of the Case
On February 27, an investigative journalist reported that the detained suspect in the murder of Andriy Portnov is Oleksandr Azizov, who was born in the city of Shakhtarsk in Donetsk region and holds Ukrainian citizenship. The other suspect is his brother Veli Azizov, who is likely in Russia. Another unidentified accomplice is also involved in the case.
“According to verified data from leaks from Russian registries, Oleksandr Azizov received a Russian passport in June 2023 in Rostov region, while his brother received his in April 2024 in the occupied territory of Donetsk.”
The Azizov brothers have not commented on the accusations of involvement in the murder. On February 25, the National Police of Spain reported the arrest of a suspect in Germany. According to the investigation, the detained individual is the person who fired near a school in Pozuelo de Alarcón, a suburb of Madrid. Spanish law enforcement issued a European arrest warrant and a search warrant for the suspect’s residence. The Cologne prosecutor’s office stated that the German authorities are already considering his extradition.
Andriy Portnov, who previously served as an advisor and Deputy Head of Yanukovych’s administration, was shot dead in Spain on May 21, 2025. It is known that since December 2021, he had been under U.S. sanctions for his influence on the judicial system, and from August to October 2018, he managed the pro-Russian television channel NewsOne. In 2020, analysts from UkraineWorld reported that Portnov actively sought to discredit the Revolution of Dignity and pro-European reforms, involving internet bots to promote anti-Western narratives. According to journalists, he left Ukraine on June 3, 2022.