New details have emerged regarding Alexander Azizov, identified as a potential suspect in the murder of Andriy Portnov, a former deputy head of the administration under ex-President Viktor Yanukovych. Reports indicate that Azizov was employed as a cleaner at a Moscow-based cleaning company, Shans, at the time of the crime in May 2025.
Investigative journalists from the project “Schemes” (Radio Free Europe) uncovered verified leaks from Russian databases, revealing that Azizov received salaries from various Russian firms providing facility maintenance services between 2023 and 2025. Notably, he worked at Shans until the end of 2024, where he held the position of a cleaner.
On May 23, 2025, just two days after Portnov’s assassination, Azizov was credited with a salary of 45,000 rubles (approximately 22,500 hryvnias at the time) from Shans. His payments continued until July 2025.
Shans, established in March 2011, is owned and managed by Dmitry Pronin, who has a background in the cleaning industry in Moscow. The company reported a net profit of five million rubles (around two million hryvnias) for the year 2024. When approached by journalists, Pronin neither confirmed nor denied Azizov’s employment at Shans, stating that with over 3,000 employees, it was challenging to keep track of each individual.
“I don’t know anything about him. Employees come and go, so it’s hard to say,” Pronin remarked.
Prior to his time at Shans, Azizov was also employed by another Moscow cleaning firm, Alfa Cleaning, until January 2025. The owner of that company, Denis Velmiskin, has a history in security services, having previously worked for a private security firm in Moscow.
When contacted about Azizov, Velmiskin abruptly ended the conversation, citing poor connection, and did not respond to further inquiries.
Additionally, records indicate that Azizov worked for another Moscow cleaning company, Viza, from July 2023 to December 2024. Attempts to reach Viza’s management for comments were unsuccessful.
Earlier reports from “Ukrainian Truth” named the Azizov brothers, Alexander and Veli, as potential suspects in Portnov’s murder. Investigations confirmed that both brothers obtained Russian passports between 2023 and 2024. Alexander’s passport is currently valid, while Veli’s is listed as invalid.
According to verified data, Alexander received his Russian passport in June 2023 in the Rostov region, while Veli obtained his in April 2024 in occupied Donetsk. Journalists confirmed that Alexander’s passport remains valid as of 2023.
Veli Azizov, however, has another Russian passport issued in 2015, which is also invalid. The invalidity of a Russian passport does not automatically equate to the loss of Russian citizenship.
Neither of the Azizov brothers has commented on the allegations regarding their possible involvement in the crime.
On February 25, the National Police of Spain announced the arrest of a suspect in Portnov’s murder in Germany. The investigation indicates that the arrested individual was involved in the shooting near a school in Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid.
Spanish authorities have issued a European arrest warrant and a European investigation order to search the suspect’s residence. The Cologne prosecutor’s office stated that German authorities are currently considering the extradition of the suspect.
Andriy Portnov was shot dead in Spain on May 21, 2025. He had been under U.S. sanctions since December 2021 due to his influence over the judiciary while serving as an advisor and later as deputy head of Yanukovych’s administration.
From August 27 to October 5, 2018, Portnov led the pro-Russian television channel NewsOne. A 2020 study by the UkraineWorld project found that he actively sought to discredit the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity and subsequent pro-European reforms, promoting anti-Western narratives with the help of internet bots.
According to reports, Portnov left Ukraine on June 3, 2022.
Alexander Azizov, linked to the murder of former Ukrainian official Andriy Portnov, was employed at a Moscow cleaning company at the time of the crime. Investigations reveal his financial ties to various Russian firms and his passport status amid ongoing inquiries into the assassination.