A Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine last year has been found dead in southeastern Spain, according to Ukrainian and Spanish media reports.
Maxim Kuzminov, who piloted a Russian Mi-8 helicopter into Ukrainian territory in August 2023, was discovered near the exit of an underground parking lot in the town of Villajoyosa, close to the Spanish port city of Alicante, Spanish news agency EFE reported on Monday.
Spanish outlets reported last week that authorities were investigating the death of a Ukrainian man in a parking lot in Villajoyosa who had been shot several times. Media reports at the time described the man only as 33 years of age and Ukrainian.
Kuzminov, who was 28 years old at the time of his defection in mid-2023, was living in the coastal town under a fake name, Spanish media reported.
Spain's Guardia Civil, which is investigating the shooting, told Newsweek in a statement on Tuesday that a person had been found dead "with multiple gunshot wounds" in the popular holiday town.
"During the ongoing investigation, it has come to light that the identity attributed to this individual might be false and could belong to another person," the Guardia Civil said.
Authorities are currently verifying information, the national police added, without confirming the identity of the victim.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency, the GUR, told Ukrainian media that Kyiv could confirm Kuzminov's death, but offered no further information. A burnt-out car was reportedly discovered close to the scene of the shooting.
Newsweek has reached out to the GUR for comment via email.
In August 2023, the GUR said it had lured the Russian pilot of an Mi-8AMTSh assault helicopter to land in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region. The operation was touted as one of Kyiv's greatest intelligence successes, months in the making.
"We were able to find the right approach to the man," GUR head Kyrylo Budanov told the U.S.-backed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty outlet at the time. Kyiv evacuated the pilot's family and engineered a scenario in which Kuzminov could land in Ukrainian territory without alerting his fellow crew members, Budanov said.
"When they realized where they had landed, they tried to escape. Unfortunately, they were killed," Budanov added.
Kuzminov later said Ukraine had offered security guarantees and new documentation, as well as a reward, for the defection.
In a documentary he encouraged other Russian military personnel to turn away from Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.
"He has two options, but he is inclined to stay here" in Ukraine, Budanov said of Kuzminov in August.
Russian sources branded Kuzminov a traitor, reporting that authorities had placed a kill order on the pilot.
Russian state media outlet Tass pointed the finger of blame at Kyiv for Kuzminov's death, reporting on Tuesday that "Ukrainian intelligence agencies could have eliminated an inconvenient witness."
Kuzminov's death comes shortly after prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic penal facility late last week. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, accused the Kremlin leader of killing her husband.
Update 02/20/24, 4:35 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 02/20/24, 5:08 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a response from the Guardia Civil.
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Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
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