2024-02-19 20:29:00
A Russian military pilot who flew his Mi-8 helicopter across the front lines to defect to Ukraine has died in Spain. Reports in Moscow that his body was “riddled with bullets”.
Captain Maxim Kuzminov, 28, fled Russia with the help of Ukrainian intelligence services and accused the carrier Vladimir Putin of ‘genocide’ after his daring escape last summer. He was reportedly promised $600,000 to defect to Ukraine with Russian military equipment.
Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed today that the pilot – a target of the Russian intelligence services – was found dead in Spain, but did not provide further details about the circumstances of his death.
Spanish authorities said a Ukrainian man was shot dead inside a garage in Villaviciosa, near Alicante in the south of Valencia, last week on Tuesday.
Sources close to the investigation told the media in Spain that the man suffered almost 12 gunshot wounds. A burned-out car believed to be related to the shooting was later found nearby.
There were reports in Russia that Kuzminov, branded a traitor to his homeland, kept in touch with people from his past life, which may have led the Russians to him.
The Russian state news agency TASS reported: “Maxim Kuzminov, a pilot who hijacked a Russian military helicopter in 2023, was found dead in Spain, several Spanish military officials said.”
According to the Daily Mail report, Kuzminov’s wife and family were deported from Russia before he defected. It is not known why he stayed in Spain.
After his defection, the pilot angered the Kremlin by calling on other Russians to follow his lead and defect to Ukraine. He was also accused of being responsible for the deaths of two crew members who died as a deserter.
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