Did Wikipedia announce the murder of Andrei Portnov before the police were informed? At 9:16 a.m., after the crime, a witness received the first warning when he reported the discovery of a man’s body after hearing several explosions near the American School in Madrid. The English Wikipedia page dedicated to Viktor Yanukovych’s former advisor documents that at 9:21 a.m., a user posted an update announcing Portnov’s death.
Three minutes later, at 9:24 a.m., the same user, User4444444444, added the first details of the incident: “Shot by one or more unidentified armed men in the Spanish capital, Madrid.” At 9:25 a.m., the user posted a third update and then deleted his Wikipedia account, which had been created earlier that day.
Some reports suggested that this user had privileged information and was reporting in real time, even before the police were informed. But nothing could be further from the truth. The update records on English Wikipedia are given in GMT time, which is two hours behind Spanish time (GMT+2) in summer, as verified by Vozpópuli. Therefore, the first updates documenting Portnow’s death on his Wikipedia page were published at 11:21 a.m. Spanish time, when some media outlets had already revealed the deceased’s identity after being linked to the police.
Portnow, 52, had just dropped his daughters off at school and was about to get into his expensive Mercedes when a hitman shot him five times in the back. He was first hit in the back, and then, as he lay on the ground, he received a fatal shot to the head. Homicide Unit V and the Scientific Police collected a total of nine bullet casings from the crime scene. Investigators are also searching for a second person who may have been present at the execution.
At least three perpetrators are involved in the crime against the pro-Russian ex-politician. Some witnesses reported that the perpetrator fled on foot toward Casa de Campo, where a third accomplice may have been waiting to escape with him, according to police sources. Analysts from the provincial information brigade have joined the investigation. Pozuelo de Alarcón Instructional Court No. 1 has ordered the secrecy of the proceedings until the police report is available.
The murdered former politician and lawyer, a fierce opponent of Volodymyr Zelensky, last fled Ukraine in June 2022, escaping the Russian invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin. In doing so, he violated the country’s martial law, which prohibits men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving Ukrainian territory unless they receive special permission.
He had previously been investigated for embezzlement and corruption and was considered one of President Viktor Yanukovych’s most influential advisers. He is specifically credited with promoting the laws that suppressed the Euromaidan uprisings in early 2024, which led to the fall of the government in which he served.
