Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine “shot dead in Spain” | BBC News

A man shot dead in Spain is believed to be a Russian military helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine in 2023.

Maxim Kuzminov flew a Russian helicopter into Ukrainian territory, where he handed himself in.

Spanish police have not publicly confirmed the identity of the man, who was shot multiple times near Alicante last week. However Ukrainian intelligence confirmed Mr Kuzminov's death. A burnt-out car apparently used by the attackers was found near the scene.

Mr Kuzminov reportedly contacted the Ukrainian secret service to inform them of his decision to defect in 2023. He then flew his Mi-8 helicopter over the border and landed in eastern Ukraine in August.

At a news conference in Ukraine, Mr Kuzminov said he switched sides because he opposed Russia's war in Ukraine. He also said that Ukraine had promised him $500,000 in payment, along with new identity documents and protection for his family.

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Nick Eardley.

#BBCNews

[hansalas]

You can forgive your enemy but never a traitor.

[feelincrispy]

As aoon as i saw him doing interviews i knew he was a goner

[IDFOLEY]

So let me get this straight...

- Guy defects to Ukraine with a Russian helicopter.
- Instead of waiting for an opportunity when he can defect alone, he essentially kidnaps 2 crew members to go with him. The two are subsequently killed by Ukrainian forces when they refused to surrender.
- Guy goes on TV to bad mouth Putin, making sure the incident can't be kept under wraps, while also showing the entire world what he looks likes.
- He finally runs off to hide in a part of Spain where a lot of Russian, many with former ties to the military, works as bouncers.

[siddharthb]

BBC missed the part that he also murdered his two comrades who were with him in the helicopter.

[AFloridaSon]

You didnt need to be a psychic to see this coming.

[MrCaryGrant]

"When Kuzminov flew into Ukraine, the two other Russian service members on board the Mi-8 helicopter with him did not know what was happening. The pair were killed while trying to escape after they realized they had landed in Ukraine"

[tolikalonso]

as they say in Russia: “a dog’s death is a dog’s death”

[-Travels]

Those two pilots killed because of him - were his friends, he didn't tell them what's waiting for them. That says everything about what kind of person he was.

[theia]

"What is it impossible to forgive?"
Putin: "Betrayal"

[jihbwlb]

In the British Army his death would be known as a "self inflicted injury".😂

[TurBroKirill]

Why dont you metion that he killed two of his onboard crewmembers before defecting.?

[GrimUndead]

Traded two lives for money, money did not buy his way out of that one.

[blackbird]

Guy defects with a couple million dollar military helicopter, makes his face known to the world and speaks out against Putin on TV. Then he hopes to live anonymously in Spain?
Who's kidding whom? 😂

[jackthehat]

No sympathy. I can kinda understand defecting on principle if you disagree with your countries military operations but to lead 2 of your brothers in arms into a slaughter is just evil. He absolutely had this coming but I'm not at all surprised that every media source I've seen on this tries to brush over the 2 crewmen he betrayed. The media will NEVER give you the full story. One of the most important lessons I've learned in life.

[ciaspecialactivitiesdivisi]

No matter what side you are on Don’t trust a guy who’s betray his brothers.

[arthurconanrus]

Why didn't you say the main thing? Kuzminov killed two members of his crew! It was for this that he was liquidated, and not for a piece of iron. How false this news is! I'm outraged.

[vuxpozo]

the other soldiers he took with him were killed

[mosfun]

BBC, какие же вы жалкие лицемеры... рассказать, что он сбежал на Украину и ни словом не обмолвиться, что при этом он убил двоих своих сослуживцев...

[joeo]

Him defecting wasn't that big of a problem but killing his battle brothers to do so was unforgivable no matter which side of the conflict he was from.

[gregkelly]

So, if you're going to defect, you might want to go a little further than Europe...