Inquiry opened into death of prominent Ukrainian community leader and Putin critic in Portugal

Prosecutors in Portugal have opened an inquiry into the Algarve hotel death of a prominent Ukrainian community leader and activist who was a vocal Vladimir Putin critic.

Pavlo Sadokha was found dead on Sunday in Quarteira near the tourist resort of Vilamoura while on a work trip.

Police called to the scene did not detect any evidence of a crime and it subsequently emerged the 56-year-old, President of the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal and the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) Vice President for Southern Europe, had a history of heart problems.

Overnight it emerged Portugal’s Public Prosecution Service has opened a probe to rule out the involvement of third parties in Sadokha’s death.

Friends and relatives told respected Portuguese daily Correio da Manha his health was “perfectly under control” and he had undergone recent tests.

Mykola Shymonyak, Vice-President of the association Sadokha presided at the time of his death, told the newspaper they had pressed for a full autopsy “to examine all the possibilities”, adding: “Everyone wants to do everything possible to make sure doubts are clarified.

“Our objective is that all the possible hypotheses are fully investigated. It’s a duty we have towards our compatriot.”

The initial autopsy has already taken place but it will be around three or four weeks before the results of toxicology tests due to be carried out on the dead man’s blood and tissue samples at a specialist lab will be known.

Sadokha had lived in Portugal for more than two decades.

The UWC said in a statement earlier this week before it emerged Portuguese public prosecutors had launched an investigation: “With profound sadness, the Ukrainian World Congress mourns the passing of Pavlo Sadokha, UWC Vice President for Southern Europe, Deputy Chair of the UWC International Educational Coordinating Council, and President of the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal. He was only 56 years old.

“Pavlo dedicated decades of his life to Ukraine and to serving the Ukrainian community in Portugal.

“He was a key member of the UWC leadership team and was instrumental in establishing the Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM) in Portugal.

“For many years, he was one of the strongest voices for Ukrainians in Portugal.

“He helped organise Euromaidan solidarity actions in Portugal in 2013-2014 and, following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, organised rallies, appeals to Portuguese government officials and support for Ukraine’s defenders.

“He also co-organised Lisbon’s annual Peace March and worked to strengthen Ukrainian media and promote Ukraine’s history and culture.

“Pavlo’s dedication and service will remain an important part of the history of the Ukrainian community around the world.

“UWC extends its deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, friends and the entire Ukrainian community in Portugal."

UWC President Paul Grod added: “Pavlo was a highly regarded Ukrainian community leader in Portugal and on the world stage. He was a close friend and someone I could always count on.

“He cared deeply and dedicated his life to serving Ukraine and its people around the world.

“This is a massive loss and he will be missed deeply. May his memory be eternal.”

In June last year Sadokha accused the Kremlin of militarising children in Tenerife through Russian-backed organisations he said were running Soviet-style military-patriotic games.

He led protests against Brazil president Lula da Silva in 2023 during his five-day official visit to Portugal after the political leader angered many in the West for suggesting both Ukraine and Russia were to blame for the conflict that began when Moscow attacked its neighbour in February 2022.

Protesters held up signs outside the Brazilian embassy saying: “Russia is a terrorist state” and “Stop killing our children.”

Pavlo Sadokha said at the time: “People die in Ukraine every day and we need international support.”

Late last year a Spanish judge closed her investigation to catch the killers of a Russian pilot branded a traitor by Moscow who was shot dead in 2024 near Benidorm.

The decision was taken after police admitted they had not been able to establish who had murdered Maxim Kuzminov or ordered his assassination.

The 28-year-old made himself a target of Russian death squads by fleeing his homeland in August 2023 in a stolen Mi-8 armoured helicopter and landing it in a Ukrainian military airfield.

He was shot six times on February 13 2024 in a broad-daylight attack after being chased from the second floor of a basement car park underneath a large residential estate in Villajoyosa on the outskirts of Benidorm.

Although it was initially reported Kuzminov was working at the residential estate where he was shot dead, it later emerged he had been staying at a flat he was doing up.

Spanish press claimed at the time his undoing could have been a call to an ex-girlfriend inviting her to the Costa Blanca which they speculated could have been intercepted by Russian secret services.

Last December the Valencia region’s High Court of Justice confirmed a judge at Villajoyosa’s Court of Instruction Number Three who has been leading the lengthy probe into the murder, had archived her investigation but said it could be reopened if significant new information came to light.

It said: "It is a provisional archive. The judge has taken this decision after receiving a report from Guardia Civil investigators saying it has not been possible to determine who is the material or intellectual author of the attack.

“The victim died after being shot several times on February 13 2024.”

The judge concluded in her ruling: “There is not sufficient evidence to attribute criminal responsibility to a specific person as the author, accomplice or abettor of the incident that gave rise to the investigation.”

Respected Alicante newspaper Informacion reported soon after the assassination Russian-made ammunition had been used to kill Kuzminov.

He was using false documentation stating he was a 33-year-old Ukrainian man.

A burnt-out car believed to have been linked to the shooting was subsequently found nearby in El Campello.

Ukraine’s military intelligence revealed it had courted Kuzminov to defect and he issued an appeal to other pilots to follow.

Russia promised revenge and accused him of killing two other men on board the chopper as he fled.

Sadokha’s funeral is due to take place in Lisbon on Saturday.

Portugal’s Attorney General’s Office has been contacted. It has yet to make any official comment about the inquiry public prosecutors are said to have opened.