Russian pilot Maksym Kuzminov, who defected in August 2023 with the Mi-8 AMTSH helicopter – a modernized version of the original model used by the Russian airborne troops for amphibious operations, was found dead in Spain, the BBC writes with reference to the Spanish press.

As the Spanish newspaper ABC reports, the body of a citizen of Ukraine with multiple bullet wounds was discovered by a local resident near the garage of a house in the town of La Villajoyosa in Alicante. Shortly afterwards, a burnt-out car was found in the nearby town of El Campello, which could have been used by the alleged killer, the BBC reports.

The investigation is ongoing and Spanish law enforcement authorities have yet to publicly confirm the identity of the man found dead. However, the Air Force confirmed the death of Maksym Kuzminov in the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (HUR), but did not provide details.

“He decided to move to Spain and not be here. As far as we know, he was found shot dead,” writes “Ukrainian Pravda”, quoting a sura from GUR.

“No one knew what happened to me” / The desertion of a Russian pilot

In August 2023, a Russian pilot handed over his Mi-8 helicopter to Ukraine after a long “special operation” by the Main Directorate of Intelligence in Kyiv, and later the Ukrainian authorities named him Maksym Kuzminov.

In September, “Ukrainian Pravda” reported with reference to military intelligence spokesman Andrii Yusov that the pilot would receive a reward equivalent to 500,000 dollars. “Russians who do not want to become war criminals, I ask them to surrender, to go over to the side of Ukraine,” the spokesman for military intelligence said at the time.

In a separate post on Telegram, Ukrainian intelligence claimed that the 28-year-old pilot called on other Russians to follow his example.

At a press conference in Kyiv, Kuzminov spoke about the risky operation of the Mi-8 helicopter flight from Russia to Ukraine.

In comments from the intelligence department, the pilot said he was flying at “extremely low altitude in radio silence mode.” “Nobody knew what happened to me. Apparently, no one understood what happened for three or four days. I successfully flew and landed. I contacted the Ukrainian special services, explained my situation, after which I was offered the following opportunity: “Come, we guarantee your safety, we guarantee you new documents, we guarantee you financial compensation,” he said.

The Russian pilot also reported that he later clarified other details with the Ukrainian special services, including the flight path.

Regarding the escape, which Ukrainian mass media reported on August 23, Kuzminov said: “I realized that I was near the border. I made my point and said, “Let’s try, I’m not far away.”

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