- Maxim Kuzminov, a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine last year, was found shot to death in Spain.
- Kuzminov urged other Russians to seek asylum, saying they would be prepared for the rest of their lives.
- Spanish media reported that he was living in Spain under a different name and holding a Ukrainian passport.
A Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine in an Mi-8 helicopter in August was found shot to death in Spain last week, according to Ukrainian and Spanish media reports.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence confirmed to the Kyiv Post that Maksim Kuzminov had died, but did not provide further details. Russian media reported that Kuzminov was found dead with at least five gunshot wounds in an underground parking lot near Alicante in southern Spain, the news agency said.
According to Reuters, Spanish news agency EFE reported that Kuzminov’s body was discovered on February 13 and that he had been living in Spain with a Ukrainian passport and a different name. Spanish police responded to the report that they could not confirm that the body found was Kuzminov’s, but an anonymous police source said the victim may have been living under a false name.
Spanish newspaper La Información reported that two suspects left the scene in a vehicle and were later found burned, according to Reuters. Police initially believed the death may have been gang-related, the Guardian reported.
Special operation “Tit”
Kuzminov, a former captain in Russia’s 319th Separate Helicopter Regiment, defected to Ukraine in August when he landed a Russian Mi-8 AMTSh at the Ukrainian air base in Kharkov.
Ukrainian officials at the time said the defection was part of a six-month special operation known as “Tit” and that the pilot’s family had been transferred from Russia to Ukraine before the defection.
Kuzminov also had two other crew members on board, who were shocked to learn that they would be landing in Ukraine. Ukrainian military officials said they had not surrendered and were “eliminated.”
Kuzminov was publicly identified as the pilot by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Service in September. At the time, he said he defected because he did not want to commit war crimes.
“What is happening now is just a genocide of the Ukrainian people, both Ukrainians and Russians,” he said in an interview published by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Service. “The motive for my actions was not to be complicit in these crimes. Ukraine will definitely win this war simply because its people are so united.”
Ukrainian officials said Kuzminov, who also brought stolen fighter jet parts with him when he defected, would be paid a $500,000 reward under Ukrainian law encouraging Russian soldiers to hand over military equipment. . The law stipulated $500,000 in remuneration for combat helicopters, while the remuneration for fighter jets to Russian soldiers was $1 million.
Officials said Kuzminov provides important Russian aviation information to Ukraine.
During an interview in September, Kuzminov, then 28, encouraged other Russian soldiers to follow his lead and defect to Ukraine, promising them lifetime employment.
“You will be provided with what you need for the rest of your life. No matter what you do, you will be offered a job wherever you are,” he said.