Helicopter pilot

Russian “traitor” shot dead in Spain

The pilot flew from Russia to Ukraine in a fully equipped Mi-8 army helicopter in August last year.

(Bild: EPA)

A Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine has been found shot dead in Spain, according to reports from Kiev. State television in Moscow reported in the fall that the Russian secret service had received the order to kill the man, who was considered a traitor to his country.

Regarding the death of 33-year-old pilot Maxim Kuzminov, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov told public television on Monday: "We can confirm this fact." He did not provide further details. According to media reports, the body was found in Spain. According to the daily newspaper "ABC", the man's body was discovered on the ramp of a garage in the town of La Villajoyosa in Alicante.

"He went to see his ex and was found shot dead," wrote the internet portal "Ukrajinska Prawda", citing its own intelligence sources. There was no confirmation from Spanish authorities at the time.

Russian received 460,000 euros from Kiev
The pilot had flown from Russia to Ukraine in a fully equipped Mi-8 army helicopter in August last year. After landing at a Ukrainian military airfield, the two other crew members were shot dead while fleeing, according to Ukrainian sources. The Russian had received the equivalent of more than 460,000 euros from Kiev for the crime.

Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for almost two years. In April 2022, the government in Kiev set rewards for functional Russian military equipment handed over to Ukraine. The Ukrainian government is promising Russian defectors the equivalent of more than 920,000 euros as the maximum reward for a fighter plane.