Suspects in murder of Russian agent Portnov hold Russian citizenship – media
Journalists from Schemes have established that the alleged suspects in the murder of Russian agent Andrii Portnov — brothers Oleksandr and Veli Azizov — hold Russian citizenship.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Radio Svoboda.
Details
The Azizov brothers are natives of the Donetsk region.
According to media reports, in 2023–2024 they obtained Russian passports: Oleksandr’s passport is still listed as "valid," while Veli’s is not.
In addition, Veli Azizov had another Russian passport issued in 2015, which is also listed as "invalid." At the same time, the mere fact that a Russian passport is marked "invalid" does not automatically mean loss of Russian citizenship.
Background
Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda established that the alleged suspects in the murder of Andrii Portnov are Oleksandr and Veli Azizov.
Murder of Andrii Portnov
- On 21 May 2025, Andrii Portnov, former deputy head of Yanukovych's administration, was killed in the Spanish city of Posuelo de Alarcón.
- The Ukrainian Embassy in Spain is in constant contact with local law enforcement agencies regarding the murder of former deputy head of Yanukovych's administration Portnov.
- The judge in Spain investigating the murder has ruled to keep the investigation materials confidential.
- The publication "UP" reported that Andrii Portnov, a shadow curator of the courts and a lawyer close to the fugitive ex-president, was in Ukraine a few days before the murder in Madrid and met with top officials responsible for the work of law enforcement agencies.
- Portnov is known to be the head of a criminal-political group within the Ukrainian government.
- In 2021, the US imposed sanctions against Portnov.
