NEW DELHI: A Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine last year was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in an underground garage in Spain last week, Ukrainian and Spanish media reported on Monday.
The body discovered on February 13 in Villajoyosa, a town near Alicante in southern Spain, has been identified as that of pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who landed in Ukraine in an Mi-8 helicopter last August.
Kuzminov was using a Ukrainian passport and staying in Spain under a different name, Spanish state news agency EFE reported.
Ukraine’s military intelligence service did not give the cause of his death, but a spokesperson confirmed that he died in Spain. The Ukrainian newspaper Ukraiska Pravda also reported that Kuzminov was found shot to death. Spanish authorities confirmed that the body of a gunshot victim was found in the town, but did not reveal the victim’s identity.
An official with Spain’s Guardia civilian police told Reuters the victims may have been living under false identities. Spain’s La Información newspaper, which first reported the shooting, said investigators were searching for two suspects who fled in a vehicle that was later found burnt out in a nearby town. I told you.
Kuzminov’s defection to Ukraine was hailed as a significant victory for Kiev, which the GUR intelligence agency claimed had instigated Kuzminov into exile.
(With input from agency)
The body discovered on February 13 in Villajoyosa, a town near Alicante in southern Spain, has been identified as that of pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who landed in Ukraine in an Mi-8 helicopter last August.
Kuzminov was using a Ukrainian passport and staying in Spain under a different name, Spanish state news agency EFE reported.
Ukraine’s military intelligence service did not give the cause of his death, but a spokesperson confirmed that he died in Spain. The Ukrainian newspaper Ukraiska Pravda also reported that Kuzminov was found shot to death. Spanish authorities confirmed that the body of a gunshot victim was found in the town, but did not reveal the victim’s identity.
An official with Spain’s Guardia civilian police told Reuters the victims may have been living under false identities. Spain’s La Información newspaper, which first reported the shooting, said investigators were searching for two suspects who fled in a vehicle that was later found burnt out in a nearby town. I told you.
Kuzminov’s defection to Ukraine was hailed as a significant victory for Kiev, which the GUR intelligence agency claimed had instigated Kuzminov into exile.
(With input from agency)