The head of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Ruslan Kravchenko, met in Madrid with the Attorney General of Spain, Teresa Peramato. During the negotiations held on March 17, key attention was given to issues of extradition and international legal assistance.
This is reported by Kyiv24
International Investigation of the High-Profile Murder
Ruslan Kravchenko emphasized that since 2022, Spain has satisfied 13 Ukrainian requests for the extradition of suspects in serious crimes. Nine individuals have already been handed over to Ukraine. Separately, the parties discussed the progress of the investigation into the murder of Ukrainian politician and lawyer Andriy Portnov, which occurred in Spain in May 2025.
“It is important for us to establish all circumstances: from the executors and organizers to the broader context of this crime. We have managed to convince our colleagues of the necessity to create a Joint Investigation Team and confirm Ukraine’s strategic role as a partner in this investigation,” Kravchenko stated.
The Ukrainian side has already provided the Spanish judicial authorities with the necessary documents to launch the joint investigation team. According to the head of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the establishment of such a team will significantly accelerate the investigation process and make it more effective.
Deepening Cooperation in the Field of Justice
During his stay in Spain, Kravchenko also met with the country’s Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños García, and the President of the National Court, Juan Manuel Fernández Martínez. He presented the Spanish officials with a list of the most important cases for Ukraine. They discussed issues of universal jurisdiction, respect for human rights in extradition procedures, and ensuring the safety of extradited individuals.
The Spanish Ministry of Justice reported that the meeting between Kravchenko and Bolaños was aimed at strengthening judicial cooperation between the countries. The parties also touched upon the investigation and prosecution of war crimes, as well as Spain’s role in supporting the work of international criminal tribunals and the International Criminal Court.
It is known that on February 25, the national police of Spain reported the arrest in Germany of a suspect in the murder of Andriy Portnov, the former deputy head of the administration of President Viktor Yanukovych.
Andriy Portnov was shot in Spain on May 21, 2025. Since December 2021, he had been under U.S. sanctions due to his influence on judicial processes. Additionally, in 2018, Portnov managed the pro-Russian television channel NewsOne. A 2020 study found that he actively attempted to discredit the Revolution of Dignity and promoted anti-Western agendas, involving internet bots.
According to journalists, Portnov left Ukraine on June 3, 2022.