Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with stolen military helicopter shot dead in Spain
Body of pilot found with multiple bullet wounds in southern Spain’s Alicante region
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine last year with a Mi-8 helicopter has been found dead in an underground garage in Spain, Ukrainian officials said this week.
The body of pilot Maxim Kuzminov was found on 13 February with multiple bullet wounds, in southern Spain’s coastal town of Villajoyosa in Alicante, reported Ukrainian and Spanish media on Monday.
Mr Kuzminov defected to Ukraine in August last year and reached the country in a Russian Mi-8 helicopter. He was reportedly living under a different name and identity in Spain with a Ukrainian passport, the report added.
His defection was seen as a major coup for Kyiv following a six-month intelligence operation. Ukrainian officials confirmed they had lured him into defecting and arranged for him to land the Mi-8 in Kharkiv.
“He decided to move to Spain instead of staying here [in Ukraine]. From what we know, he invited his ex to his place and was later found shot dead,” Ukrainian news website Ukrainska Pravda reported on Monday, quoting a Ukrainian intelligence source.
Russia’s spy chief Sergei Naryshkin responded to reports of Mr Kuzminov’s death on Tuesday, calling him a “traitor and criminal”.
“In Russia it is customary to speak either good of the dead or nothing at all,” said Mr Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s foreign intelligence service (SVR).
“This traitor and criminal became a moral corpse at the very moment when he planned his dirty and terrible crime,” Mr Naryshkin was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence said Mr Kuzminov died in Spain, but did not specify the cause of death. Spanish police officials have not confirmed the victim’s identity but said a body of a gunshot victim was found in the town.
The victim could have been living under a fake identity, according to a source at Spain’s Guardia Civil police force.
Investigators are searching for two suspects who are believed to have fled in a vehicle that was later found burnt and abandoned in a nearby town, reported Spain’s La Informacion newspaper.
The reports of Mr Kuzminov’s death come in the wake of Russia’s main opposition leader and fierce Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny dying suddenly in his Arctic prison.
Mr Navalny’s widow Yulia has accused Vladimir Putin of poisoning her husband with novichok and hiding his body until traces of the nerve agent are unable to be detected.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments