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9 months ago
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A RUSSIAN pilot who defected to Ukraine with an Mi-8 armoured helicopter has been shot dead in Spain sparking fears of another Kremlin murder.
Maxim Kuzminov, 33, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a parking garage in near Benidorm.
East2West
East2West
East2WestHis death was reported by Spanish and Russian state media and comes days after Putin’s nemesis Alexei Navalny was allegedly beaten to death in a penal colony.
Kuminov had been promised a $500,000 reward for defecting with Russian military kit to Ukraine.
But he was condemned as a traitor in Russia.
His body was reportedly found in the coastal town of Villajoyosa, in Alicante.
The pilot caused a sensation when he landed his armoured chopper at a military airfield in Kharkiv province in August.
Ukraine’s military intelligence later revealed it had courted him to defect and he issued an appeal to other pilots to follow.
In an interview broadcast by Ukraine’s authorities, Kuzimov said: “I contacted representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, explained my situation, to which they offered this option: ‘Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee monetary compensation, a reward’.”
At the time his age was reported as 28, but the age of the man found in Spain yesterday was reported as 33.
Russian state media said Kuzminov shot dead two of his crewmates before landing in Ukraine.
It also claimed Putin’s GRU military intelligence agents had orders to “eliminate” him, however long it took.
The same GRU unit was behind the botched nerve agent attacks on Sergei and Julia Skripal in Salisbury.
Last night Russian state media pointed the finger at Ukraine.
TASS alleged “Ukrainian intelligence agencies could have eliminated [Kuzimov] as an inconvenient witness”.
Once Kuzminov landed in Kyiv he accused Putin of “genocide” over the brutal killing of Ukrainians and Russians in the unwanted war, via a documentary.
I am very offended by what is happening now (in Ukraine). Murder, tears, blood. Just people killing each other
Maksim KuzminovLast year the pilot left Russia to be with his wife and children who were waiting for him in Ukraine.
He said: “I am very offended by what is happening now (in Ukraine). Murder, tears, blood. Just people killing each other.
“What is happening now is just genocide of the Ukrainian people, both Ukrainian and Russian.
“The basis of my action is not to contribute to these crimes.”
In an interview broadcast by Ukraine’s authorities, Kuzimov said: “I contacted representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, explained my situation, to which they offered this option ‘Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee monetary compensation, a reward’.”
He had been promised a £400,000 reward for defecting with Russian military kit to Ukraine.
But Russia quickly hit back as he was accused of killing two men on board by the authorities as he fled.
The 28-year-old, wildly decided to fly a Mi-8 helicopter to Ukraine in August 2023, in a carefully staged trip that was pre-arranged with Ukrainian military intelligence.
Both men on the plane who were allegedly killed by Kuzminov didn’t agree with the dangerous trip past the fiercely contested border.
Russia claimed they had no idea they were about to be flown across the frontline as they then somehow died.
The exact circumstances are still unclear.
The two men were named as Nikita Kiryanov, 28, and Khushbat Tursunov, 35.
As TV military expert Sergei Zenin said the pilot had “spat on the memory of his grandfather.”
Before the defector’s former superior officer Denys Chernavyn also called him a traitor.
East2West
Kuzminov fled Russia in a £15million helicopter after allegedly killing his two co-pilots, according to Russian mediaEast2West
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