Moscow — Russia’s spy chief on Tuesday stated a pilot who defected to Ukraine with a army helicopter and was reportedly shot useless in Spain final week was a ”ethical corpse.” Maxim Kuzminov flew his Mi-8 helicopter into Ukraine in August in a brazen operation, saying he opposed Russia’s army offensive.
Experiences in Spanish media stated Kuzminov was discovered shot useless within the southern city of Villajoyosa final week, the place he had moved after receiving Ukrainian citizenship for switching sides.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s most important intelligence directorate later confirmed that Kuzminov had died however did not present additional particulars.
”This traitor and legal turned an ethical corpse on the very second when he deliberate his soiled and horrible crime,” Russian state information companies quoted Sergei Naryshkin, the top of Russia’s SVR international intelligence service, as saying on Tuesday. He didn’t verify or deny any Russian involvement within the former pilot’s dying.
GRU/Anton Gerashchenko/X
In October, Russian state TV reported that Russia’s GRU intelligence company had ”been given the order” to remove Kuzminov.
”It is only a matter of time,” a journalist for Russia’s Perviy Kanal stated in a TV report after speaking to Russian particular forces, who claimed to be on the hunt for the ”traitor.”
The Kremlin stated on Tuesday it didn’t have any info on Kuzminov’s dying.
It comes because the U.S. and different nations take into account their response to the dying of main Russian political opposition determine Alexey Navalny, whom the nation’s jail authorities declare suffered ”sudden dying syndrome” at a distant Arctic penal colony on Friday.
President Biden rapidly blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s dying in custody, and on Monday he stated the U.S. was ”contemplating further sanctions” in opposition to Russia over the dissident’s suspicious demise.
Kuzminov served within the 319th separate helicopter regiment primarily based in Russia’s Far Japanese Primorye area. Two fellow servicemen on the helicopter weren’t conscious of his plans and have been killed after they tried to flee after it landed in Ukraine.
Kuzminov featured in a propaganda video launched in September by Ukraine’s protection intelligence company, titled ”Downed pilots of Russia.”
”Nobody desires this warfare,” the pilot, stated by Ukrainian authorities advisor Anton Gerashchenko to have been 28, says within the video, which additionally contains clips of his helicopter touching down. ”You will note when Ukraine wins, it is just a matter of time.”
Authorities in Spain stated they have been investigating the dying of an individual discovered with a number of gunshot wounds final week however couldn’t verify the individual’s identification.
”Final Tuesday, an individual was discovered useless with a number of gunshot wounds in Villajoyosa,” a spokeswoman from Spain’s inside ministry informed AFP. ”In the middle of the investigation, it was discovered that the identification that this individual was utilizing could possibly be false. The Guardia Civil is making an attempt to verify his identification.”