Inside Putin’s unlikely hunting ground, Benidorm, where the British vow to keep partying despite the killers in the shadows

IT’S the brash Spanish hotspot where Brits gather for bawdy stag parties and boozy mobility scooter pub crawls.

But sunny Benidorm was darkened yesterday by a sinister shadow cast by an evil tyrant Vladimir Putin.

The Sun's Nick Parker stands in the parking lot of murdered Russian pilot Captain Maxim Kuzminov in the underground car park where his body was found — The Sun’s Nick Parker stands in the parking lot of murdered Russian pilot Captain Maxim Kuzminov in the underground car park where his body was foundCredit: Darren Fletcher

Maxim lived in this apartment complex in the residential area of La Cala de VillajoyosaCredit: Darren Fletcher

British tourists walk past the Tiki Beach bar on Levante Beach in Benidorm (image)Credit: Alamy

Russian defector Maxim Kuzminov, believed to have been murdered by a Kremlin assassination squadCredit: East2West

Sunny Benidorm was darkened yesterday by a sinister shadow - cast by evil tyrant Vladimir Putin — Sunny Benidorm was darkened yesterday by a sinister shadow – cast by evil tyrant Vladimir PutinCredit: AP

It is believed that the ruthless despot’s assassins have tracked him down executed a Russian helicopter pilot who fled to the Costa resort after defecting to Ukraine.

But Britain’s bulldogs continued to party undaunted yesterday as Spanish police hunted for Kremlin killers believed to be stalking more Putin foes hiding among them.

The Sun yesterday gained access to the grisly murder scene where pilot Captain Maxim Kuzminov28, was found riddled with bullets in a parking lot.

He was sent away in cold blood by six shots from a gun believed to have been fitted with a silencer just a 10-minute drive from Benidorm’s party strip.

Read more about Putin’s killers

The stealth from his killers was such that no one heard or witnessed the murder before they fled in a getaway car that was later set on fire nearby.

We followed Kuzminov’s final steps yesterday from the 9th floor apartment, where he lay low after fleeing to a Ukrainian airport in a stolen Mi8 helicopter last August.

He had hoped to blend into the Tower Three block on a tree-lined boulevard where 70 percent of residents came from. Russia, Ukraine and other oriental European states.

But police investigating his murder believe he made the fatal mistake of inviting an ex-girlfriend to join him – and his phone call home allowed Putin agents to track his location.

Investigators believe a team of secret servicemen from the GRU and the FSB were activated and rushed towards their target in the eerie darkness of level three of the block’s car park.

They seemed to know that Kuzminov was parked in section number 29 and lying in wait as he descended to his doom in an elevator around 5 p.m. on February 13.

Fears that Putin will hit the large team in Spain after defected pilot found dead with chilling ‘business card’

Locals at the murder scene told us yesterday that the victim may have spotted the killers and died while running for his life.

We walked his last steps yesterday about 50 yards to where his body was found, near the electrically operated metal doors of the parking garage.

The caretaker at the block – who only named Ruben – told The Sun: “I found his body halfway down the car park exit – it looks like he tried to escape on foot.

“He was clearly dead, lying face up with his eyes and mouth wide open and gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen.

“I had never seen a dead body before and it was a shocking sight. Some people have been afraid to go to the parking lot since it happened.

“Nobody saw or heard anything suspicious and when we first saw him we thought he had been run over.

A view of the entrance to the underground parking garage at the apartment complex where Maxim livedCredit: Darren Fletcher

Spanish investigators hide Maxim's body in the underground parking garage — Spanish investigators hide Maxim’s body in the underground parking garageCredit: Reuters

The car in which his killers allegedly fled before setting fireCredit: Reuters

The underground parking garage at the apartment complex where Maxim's body was found — The underground parking garage at the apartment complex where Maxim’s body was foundCredit: Darren Fletcher

The Yorko's bar opposite Maxim's apartment complex, which is run by Eastern Europeans and frequented by many Russians and Ukrainians — The Yorko’s bar opposite Maxim’s apartment complex, which is run by Eastern Europeans and frequented by many Russians and UkrainiansCredit: Darren Fletcher

Maxim had hoped to blend into the Tower Three block on a tree-lined boulevardCredit: Darren Fletcher

The Sun yesterday followed Kuzminov's last steps from the 9th floor apartment where he lay low — The Sun yesterday followed Kuzminov’s last steps from the 9th floor apartment where he lay lowCredit: Darren Fletcher

The entrance to Maxim's flat 9b is shown here — The entrance to Maxim’s flat 9b is shown hereCredit: Darren Fletcher

“But I realized what had happened when I saw the blood from his wounds on his blue sports jacket and the bag he was carrying.

“There was no phone signal there, so I had to run outside to call the police.

“Now that we know who he was, the police think Putin sent his people to do this – how could this happen in a place like this?”

The killers appear to have carefully planned their escape, taking care not to get stuck in the parking lot, which can only be exited by residents with a remote control.

It is believed they fled on foot to a stolen white Hyundai parked on the street outside before driving away – dodging CCTV from the garage entrance.

Kuzminov was on Putin’s most wanted list after he was reportedly paid £400,000 to steal his Russian military helicopter in a major propaganda coup for Ukraine.

He had been given a new identity and joined a large community of Russian speakers living in and around Benidorm using a Ukrainian passport with the name Igor Shevchenko.

The defector is said to have moved into a flat he was renovating and hoping to start a new life in the Benidorm suburb of Villajoyosa.

Despite the ongoing carnage between their countries in Eastern Europe, Russians and Ukrainians in Spain live side by side with British expats and trippers.

But Spanish police now hunting the killers believe a Kremlin death squad has infiltrated the community and is on standby liquidate more Putin enemies.

And the theory was all but confirmed this week when police sources revealed that distinctive Russian bullets had been used to kill Kusminov – in a chilling “calling card” of the Kremlin.

Telegram channel Volya – an independent Ukrainian war source that – linked the murder to another feared assassination of Putin – and warned that Kremlin assassins may be stalking the Costas.

Multimillionaire in Russian exile in the spring of 2022 Sergei Protosenya55, was found hanged after allegedly killing his wife Natalia, 53, and their teenage daughter, Maria, with an axe.

Protosenya was a former vice chairman of Novotek, a company closely linked to the Kremlin and at odds with Putin’s regime.

Volya said the hit team is occurring as maritime guards hide in plain sight on the Costas.

They work under the guise of providing security for Russian cargo ships – but some openly wear shoulder straps with the insignia of Putin’s spy agencies, including the FSB and the GRU.

Others pose as ‘export-import’ specialists, but are in fact officers of the GRU – whose agents tried Sergei Skripal with Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury in 2018.

Volya said: “The Russians have been living in Alicante, Altea, Benidorm and neighboring small towns for two years now.

“Among these people are professional murderers or saboteurs.
“They killed Protosenya in the spring of 2022 in Lloret de Mar because he had withdrawn money from the Russian Federation.

“They tried to cover up that death as an alleged domestic murder, but they didn’t disguise themselves with Kuzminov.

“They promised to punish him – and they punished him.”

Brits in Benidorm remained stoic yesterday as the red menace beneath them was laid bare on the holiday playground.

Nick Holman, a 71-year-old retired police officer from Kent who is spending a month in the block next to the murder scene, said: “I didn’t see or hear anything that day and can’t say it affected me.

“The parking lot where it happened is pretty dark, but I’m not worried about going there; I just keep going.”

Jeff Spring, a 68-year-old retired truck driver from Glasgow, said: “It will take more than Putin to stop me coming to Benidorm.

“There are a lot of Russians here and I’ve never had a problem with it – and I don’t expect that to change.”

Alan Jacobs, a 56-year-old plumber who was on holiday with his wife Jane, yesterday continued their pub crawl close to the murder scene aboard a two-seater mobility scooter.

Alan said: “I wish someone would give Putin what he deserves and not care if his assassins are here.

“I’m just here for the beer – and they’ll never catch me on my scooter!”