Russian pilot Kuzminov killed in Spain with Makarov pistol - mass media

Russian pilot Maksim Kuzminov, who last year transported an Mi-8 helicopter from Russia to Ukraine as part of the special operation Sinitsa, was shot dead in Spain with a Makarov pistol and then run over by a car. This was reported by The New York Times on 31 March.

According to the Spanish Civil Guard, on the morning of 13 February, a white Hyundai Tucson car drove into the garage under Kuzminov's house. The two men waited there for several hours.

At around 4:20 p.m., Kuzminov drove into the garage, parked the car and went to the lift. As he passed the Hyundai, two men got out of the car, shouted something at him and opened fire.

Despite being hit by six bullets, Kuzminov was able to run another short distance before collapsing. The two killers got into the car and ran over Kuzminov's body as they drove away.

They left shell casings from 9mm cartridges from a Makarov pistol at the scene. These casings, according to the NYT, are important evidence because such cartridges are commonly used in former communist bloc countries.

The car that the killers used to run over Kuzminov's body several times was found several kilometres from the scene. The car was burnt using special means.

It took specialists a week to identify the make and model of the car and establish that it had been stolen two days before the murder in the city of Murcia, which is about an hour's drive from the crime scene.

It was a clear message. I will find you, I will kill you, I will run you over and humiliate you," a senior official of the Spanish police overseeing the murder investigation told the NYT.

According to the publication, the Russian left Ukraine in October 2023. In Spain, he settled in the town of La Villajoyosa on the Mediterranean coast. Killers found Kuzminov after he invited his ex-girlfriend to his place in Spain.

We will remind, last summer Russian pilot Kuzminov transported from the Russian Federation helicopter Mi-8, loaded with kits to combat aircraft, and surrendered to the AFU.

On 19 February, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence confirmed the death of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov in Spain.