New facts unveiled in murder case of Russian defector pilot

Pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who was killed in the Spanish town of Villajoyosa in Alicante, has been found to have forged documents.

Sources familiar with the investigation told EFE news agency that the passport found near the body was issued to a 33-year-old Ukrainian citizen. However, the defector pilot was only 28 years old.

The man was shot about five times and, according to the preliminary findings of the investigation, his body was driven over by a car in which the killers later fled. Maxim Kuzminov's death was confirmed by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry. Earlier, media reports about him came online.

In September 2023, Chief of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov said that the Ukrainian intelligence managed to convince a serviceman of Russia to make a landing of a helicopter Mi-8 of the Russian Armed forces on the territory of Ukraine. Later, Maxim Kuzminov spoke at a press conference in Kyiv, where he explained his decision with a negative attitude towards the military operation. The Main Directorate of Intelligence reported that after a while he moved to Spain.

The Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine last year in a secret operation was found dead in Spain, according to the main military intelligence agency in Kyiv.

Reports in Russian and Spanish media said Maksim Kuzminov was found dead after allegedly moving to the town of Villajoyosa in Alicante on the Mediterranean coast, in an area popular with holidaymakers. His body was discovered on February 13, it was said, on the car park ramp underneath an apartment block.

The reports claimed he had been murdered by unknown gunmen who fired 12 shots. A burnt-out car was discovered nearby in the Costa Blanca town of El Campello. Spanish police had initially thought the shooting was gang-related before reportedly learning of the victim’s extraordinary backstory and his former role in Russia’s war and invasion.

Kuzminov crossed the frontline last August while on a flight between two Russian airbases. He was supposed to transport parts for SU-27 and Su-30 fighter jets. Instead, he landed his twin-engine Mi-8 AMTSh helicopter on Ukrainian territory.