Ukrainian ex-interior ministry official found dead in Spanish resort town PHOTO

Ihor Hrushevskyi, a former official of Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department for Combating Organized Crime, has been found dead in the coastal town of Villajoyosa.

According to Spanish newspaper El Español, Hrushevskyi’s body was discovered on the evening of June 29 in the swimming pool of the Cala Alta residential complex. While no signs of violence were observed, blood was reportedly seen coming from his ear, Caliber.Az reports per Novoya Gazeta. 

Initial suspicions point to the possibility of drowning caused by a stroke, though authorities have not ruled out murder.

The same residential complex was the scene of another high-profile death in February, 2024.

In February, Russian military pilot Maksim Kuzminov was murdered there under circumstances that remain shrouded in secrecy. Kuzminov, who defected to Ukraine in August 2023 by flying a Mi-8 helicopter across the border, was shot six times and then run over by a car, according to Spanish media.

Ukrainian intelligence had publicly acknowledged Kuzminov’s defection, while Russian state media later confirmed his identity and branded him a traitor.

In a Vesti Nedeli segment aired on Channel One, Russian journalist Sergei Zenin labeled the pilot a “sellout” and claimed intelligence agencies had been instructed to eliminate him. Kuzminov reportedly relocated to Spain in October 2023 after leaving Ukraine.

Authorities in Spain are continuing their investigation into both deaths under strict confidentiality.

By Sabina Mammadli