The body of the man shot dead in Spain last week is reported to be that of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who flew a Mi-8 helicopter into Ukrainian territory in August 2023. Although Spanish police have not publicly confirmed the man’s identity, on Monday Ukrainian intelligence confirmed Kuzminov’s death, on the 20th of February, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Defence Intelligence Service confirmed Kuzminov’s death in a commentary for Ukrainska Pravda. “He decided to go to Spain instead of staying here. All we know is that he invited his ex to his place and was then found shot dead,” the spokesman said.
The BBC reports that Spanish authorities said the victim may have been living under a false identity. According to the BBC, Spanish news agency Efe reported that the corpse was found near a property in the town of Villajoyosa on Spain’s east coast, belonging to Kuzminov, with documents showing his nationality but a different name.
A burnt-out car, possibly used by the attackers, was also found near the crime scene.
As reported, Kuzminov was in touch with the Ukrainian secret services last year and carried out “Operation Synytsia”, flying a Mi-8 helicopter across the border and landing in eastern Ukraine on the 9th of August. Two persons in the cabin, unaware of his plans, were shot as they fled to the border after landing. Kuzminov, who was also shot in the leg, attributed the murders to Russian forces.
At a press conference in September, Kuzminov said he had defected because he opposed Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He also said that Ukraine had promised him 500 000 US dollars in state benefits, new documents, and protection for his family.
The Ukrainian authorities offered Kuzminov the possibility to stay in Ukraine,
as confirmed by Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, according to the BBC. Danilov expressed confidence that Kuzminov would have received protection in Ukraine and “I don’t think they would have acted as disrespectfully here as they did in Spain”, he was quoted by the BBC.
The Russian authorities have not officially commented on the case.
But the BBC reports that Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, on Tuesday called Kuzminov a “traitor” and a “moral corpse”. A few months after the defection, a man who was allegedly a Russian intelligence officer on Russian state television said: “I don’t think he will live long enough to face justice.”
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