Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov who defected to Ukraine back in August 2023 was found shot to death in Spain, according to reports.
A spokesman for Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence confirmed the 28-year-old’s death without specifying the cause to Reuters. Spain’s Guardia Civil police force told the outlet that a gun was involved in the former pilot’s death, and a source within the force told the outlet that Kuzminov could have been living under a false identity.
A source in the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine told Ukrainska on Pravda on Monday that they could confirm the death and Kuzminov had “invited his ex to his place and was found shot dead.” The source added that a burnt-out vehicle was found nearby and that it is theorized that Kuzminov’s killer(s) used the car. The Ukrainian outlet noted that Russia had previously threatened to kill the former pilot and had branded him a “traitor.” (RELATED: Biden Admin Mulling Sending Longer-Range Missiles To Ukraine: REPORT)
Russian pilot who surrendered helicopter to Ukraine found shot dead in Spainhttps://t.co/p5b5o95NhV
— Ukrainska Pravda in English (@pravda_eng) February 19, 2024
Kuzminov had notably piloted his Mi-8 helicopter into Ukraine and received $500,000 in exchange for defecting with the piece of valuable equipment, Ukrainska Pravda reported. Kuzminov told the press back in Sept. that his two flight crew mates were unaware of his intentions until it was too late to stop him and by then could not stop because only he had experience flying the aircraft, the Daily Beast reported.
“I was calming the guys down, I told them everything was fine, that good people live here and everything will be great. But they started to get scared and behave themselves a bit aggressively, and they ran from the helicopter towards the border,” Kuzminov said, the outlet noted. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said that his two crewmates were killed after they failed to immediately surrender after landing, the Daily Beast reported. Kuzminov’s family had been evacuated to Ukraine prior to the pilot’s formal defection, the outlet noted.