According to reports from both Ukrainian and Spanish media outlets on Monday, a Russian pilot who had defected to Ukraine with his helicopter last year was discovered deceased in Spain last week, his body showing evidence of multiple gunshot wounds.
Spain's state news agency EFE disclosed that on February 13, authorities found a body in an underground parking garage in the town of Villajoyosa, situated near Alicante in southern Spain. The deceased individual was identified as Maxim Kuzminov, the pilot who had arrived in Ukraine with his Mi-8 helicopter in August of the previous year. He had been residing in Spain under a Ukrainian passport using an alternate identity, as per the report.
A representative from Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency confirmed to Reuters that Kuzminov had indeed passed away in Spain, although the precise cause of death was not specified. Additionally, Ukraine's Ukrainska Pravda newspaper indicated that he had been discovered deceased from gunshot wounds.
While Spanish law enforcement verified the discovery of a gunshot victim in the aforementioned town, they refrained from disclosing the identity of the individual. A source within Spain's Guardia Civil police force informed Reuters that the victim may have been living under an assumed identity.
The initial report of the shooting by Spain's La Informacion newspaper revealed that authorities were actively searching for two suspects who had fled the scene in a vehicle. Subsequently, the abandoned vehicle was found burnt out in a neighboring town.
Kuzminov's decision to defect to Ukraine was hailed as a significant victory for Kyiv when it occurred last year. At that time, the GUR asserted that they had successfully enticed him into defecting.
