Russian defector who flew Putin's £15m helicopter into Ukraine 'found DEAD in Spain' after chilling promise to hunt him down
A RUSSIAN pilot who defected to Ukraine in a Mi-8 armored helicopter has been shot dead in Spain, sparking fears of another Kremlin assassination.
Maxim Kuzminov, 33, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a parking garage near Benidorm.
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His death was reported by Spanish and Russian state media and comes days after Putin's arch-enemy Alexei Navalny was reportedly beaten to death in a penal colony.
Kuminov was promised a $500,000 reward for defecting to Ukraine with Russian military equipment.
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 stir when he landed his armored helicopter at a military airfield in Kharkiv province in August.
Ukraine's military intelligence later revealed it had been courting him to defect and he called on other pilots to follow.
In an interview broadcast by Ukrainian authorities, Kuzimov said: “I contacted representatives of the Ukrainian intelligence service, explained my situation, and they offered this option: 'Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee a monetary compensation, a reward'. .”
At the time his age was reported as 28, but the age of the man found yesterday in Spain was reported as 33.
Russian state media said Kuzminov shot dead two of his crew before landing in Ukraine.
It also claimed that Putin's GRU military intelligence agents were under orders to “eliminate” him for however long that took.
The same GRU unit was behind the failed nerve agent attacks on Sergei and Julia Skripal in Salisbury.
Last night, Russian state media pointed the finger at Ukraine.
TASS claimed that “Ukrainian intelligence services could have eliminated this [Kuzimov] as an uncomfortable witness.”
Once Kuzminov landed in Kiev, he accused Putin of “genocide” for the brutal murder of Ukrainians and Russians in the unwanted warvia a documentary.
I am very offended by what is happening now (in Ukraine). Murder, tears, blood. Just people killing each other
Maksim Kuzminov
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 simply a 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 Ukrainian authorities, Kuzimov said: “I contacted representatives of the Ukrainian intelligence service, explained my situation, and they offered this option: 'Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee a monetary compensation, a reward'. ”
He had been promised a reward of £400,000 for defecting to Ukraine with Russian military equipment.
But Russia quickly hit back when he was accused by authorities of killing two men on board as he fled.
The 28-year-old wildly decided to fly a Mi-8 helicopter there Ukraine in August 2023, during a carefully staged trip pre-arranged with Ukrainian military intelligence.
Both men on the plane allegedly killed by Kuzminov disagreed with the dangerous journey along the hotly contested border.
Russia claimed they had no idea they were about to be flown over the front line because they then somehow died.
The precise circumstances are still unclear.
The two men were named Nikita Kiryanov, 28, and Khushbat Tursunov, 35.
As military TV expert Sergei Zenin said, the pilot “spit in the memory of his grandfather.”
Previously, the defector's former superior, Denys Chernavyn, also called him a traitor.
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