The circumstances of the death of the Russian pilot in Spain are unclear

was asked by Al Pace, members of the Spanish Civil Guard (equivalent to the gendarmerie) confirmed that the body of a bullet-riddled man near Alicante in south-east Spain on Tuesday 20 February was that of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov. , aged 28, who defected several months ago. But the mystery surrounding the circumstances of her disappearance remains unsolved.

Raised as a hero in Ukraine, Maxim Kouzminov defected to the Russian military on August 9, 2023, aboard an Army Mi-8 helicopter. In protest of the war in Ukraine, the pilot left the base located in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, and arrived in the Kharkiv region.

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According to some Spanish and Ukrainian media, the soldier’s body was found eight days ago in a parking lot in Villajoyosa, a city in southeastern Spain, a stone’s throw from Alicante. The pilot’s car, with which his killers allegedly fled, was found burnt out in a nearby town.

Without giving the slightest hint of possible involvement by Moscow, the head of the Russian foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, told Russian defectors A “criminal traitor”, “he became a moral corpse from the moment he planned his heinous and terrible crime”., reported the official national agency Tass. An October report broadcast by Russian state television said that special services had been ordered to find the pilot and punish him for his defection.

Operation “Titmouse”

Maxim Kuzminov’s abdication was secretly prepared for months, within the framework of Operation “Titmouse”, with the support of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence (GUR). Kiev post

. In a GUR video broadcast in September, Maxim Kuzminov detailed the operation, explaining that he had committed the theft. “At extremely low altitude, in radio silence mode” So as not to be seen by the Russian army. A video worthy of a daily newspaper Al Pace No“Propaganda tool in hands of Kyiv authorities”.

In the same video, Maxim Kuzminov explained how the Ukrainian military services approached him, offering to join the Kiev camp in exchange for money and protection for him and his family. Even the Russian soldier begged his compatriots to follow and said he did not want to be “A partner in Russian crimes”. For the moment, his presence in Spain, where some 200,000 Ukrainians have received asylum, remains a mystery.

Photography: Exhibition of Ukraine in a hangar in Brussels

According to GUR, he was accompanied during his flight by two men who were unaware of his plans to desert. Attempting to escape after their arrival, they were reportedly killed by Ukrainian forces. Other Russian media close to the Kremlin claim that he was assassinated by Maxim Kuzminov.

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