A man found dead in Spain last week was identified like Maxim Kuzminov, a former helicopter pilot who had defected from the Russian army. In 2023, Kuzminov agreed with Ukrainian military intelligence to spontaneously hand himself over to Ukrainian forces, taking with him the combat helicopter he piloted on behalf of the Russian army. He had received a reward of 465 thousand euros, and his desertion had been praised and used for propaganda purposes by Ukraine.
His body was found on February 13th in La Vila Joiosa, near Alicante, where he had moved. It seems he was killed with several gunshots, and that the murderer or murderers fled in his car, which was later found burnt not far away. For now, the investigations have not identified any suspects, and at the moment it is not possible to establish whether the Russian authorities were involved in the murder or not.
Initially the Spanish authorities had traced the murder to a clash between criminal gangs, but then the fingerprints of the body made it possible to trace it to Kuzminov, who was carrying false documents. His death was confirmed by both Spanish police sources and the Ukrainian military intelligence service.
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The story of Kuzminov’s desertion was widely covered by the Ukrainian and international media. In an interview published by Ukrainian intelligence, the former soldier said he had spontaneously contacted the Ukrainian army, which had assured him safe passage across the border with Russia, new documents and various rewards. Thanks to the agreements, Kuzminov was able to reach Ukraine undisturbed from Russia aboard the military helicopter he piloted.