A hero Russian military pilot who flew his Mi-8 helicopter over the frontline to defect to Ukraine has found dead in Spain. Reports in Moscow say that his body was 'riddled with bullets'.
Captain Maksim Kuzminov, 28, fled Russia with the help of Ukrainian intelligence services and accused Vladimir Putin of 'genocide' following his daring escape last summer.
Ukrainian GUR military intelligence confirmed today that the pilot - a known target of Russian death squads - had died in Spain.
Spanish authorities said a Ukrainian man aged 33 had been shot dead inside a garage in Villajoyosa, near Alicante.
Sources close to the inquiry said the man had received nearly a dozen gunshot wounds. A burnt-out car linked to the shooting was subsequently found nearby.
Reports from pro-Putin media in Russia said that Kuzminov was the victim in the Spanish shooting.
Captain Maksim Kuzminov, 28, fled Russia with the help of Ukrainian intelligence services
Spanish authorities said the Ukrainian man aged 33 had been shot dead inside a garage in Villajoyosa, near Alicante
The Russian military pilot flew his Mi-8 helicopter over the frontline to defect to Ukraine
Reports of the mysterious death have emerged days after Putin critic Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony.
His widow today claimed her husband was poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok, and blamed the Russian president for his death.
State media previously reported that Putin's military intelligence service had orders to go to any length to 'eliminate' Kuzminov, who has been labelled a traitor in his homeland of Russia.
There have now been claims in Russia that the war critic had kept in contact with people from his former life, which may have led the Russian authorities to him.
State news agency TASS reported: 'Maxim Kuzminov, a pilot who hijacked a Russian military helicopter in 2023, has been found dead in Spain.
Another Kremlin-obedient outlet, Mash, said that 'the body of Maxim Kuzminov was seen by a local resident on February 13 - it was riddled with bullets.'
Pro-Putin outlet Shot reported: 'Pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who hijacked a Russian military helicopter, was found dead in Spain. They shot him 12 times and then ran over him with a car.'
In October, soon after his dramatic defection, there were public death threats against Kuzminov in Russia, with suggestions that Putin's secret services would find and kill him for an ultimate betrayal.
Kuzminov's wife and family were taken out of Russia by Ukraine Intelligence before he defected
Spetsnaz special forces officers from Russia's GRU were last year shown on Moscow state TV making clear an 'order' had been given to liquidate Kuzminov.
State-run Rossiya 1 channel's Vesti Nedeli channel told viewers in a chilling broadcast: 'The order [to kill Captain Kuzminov] was received, its execution is a matter of time.'
One Spetsnaz officer said: 'We'll find the man and punish him for betraying his brothers to the fullest extent of our country's law.'
A second officer said: 'He will not live…'
Kuzminov's wife and family were taken out of Russia by Ukraine Intelligence before he defected.
After his defection, Kuzminov riled the Kremlin by urging other Russians to follow his example and defect to Ukraine.
Kuzminov, labelled a traitor in his homeland, had kept in contact with people from his former life (pictured with his mother Inna Kuzminova)
After defecting, Kuzminov said what was happening was 'genocide'.
'Murder, tears, blood. Just people killing each other…
'What is happening now is just genocide of the Ukrainian people, both Ukrainian and Russian.
Kuzminov, 28, a known target of Russian death squads, was killed in an underground garage in Villajoyosa on February 13. Spanish Civil Guard officers are pictured at the scene
Kuzminov was shot six times before his attacker ran him over with his own car. Pictured is the burned car allegedly used in his killing
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