Defected pilot killed in Spain a 'moral corpse', says Russia
A burned car allegedly used by the perpetrators of the murder of the Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov to escape the scene is parked outside the Spanish Civil Guard barracks, in El Campello, Spain, on Feb 14, 2024. (Photo: REUTERS/Alex Dominguez)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service described a Russian pilot, who defected to Ukraine and was found shot dead in Spain, as a "moral corpse" for betraying his country.
It is Moscow's first comment on the case since news of the killing emerged.
The pilot defected to Ukraine last August, arriving with his Mi-8 helicopter.
Ukraine's GUR military intelligence has confirmed that Maxim Kuzminov died in Spain, but provided no details on the cause.
Spanish authorities confirmed they found a body in an underground garage on Feb 13 with multiple bullet wounds near Alicante in southern Spain.
Spanish and Ukrainian media have reported that the shooting victim was the pilot, who had been living in Spain under a fake identity.
The director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service was on Tuesday (Feb 20) quoted by TASS news agency as saying, "This traitor and criminal became a moral corpse at the very moment when he planned his dirty and terrible crime."
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it did not have any information on Kuzminov's death.
Western leaders have previously accused Russia of targeting those it deems traitors abroad.
Moscow says they have provided no evidence to support these assertions.
A Spanish court has initiated an investigation into the death of the shooting victim, a judicial source told Reuters.
"I want to clarify that it's a case under investigation so we cannot provide more information at this time. We must wait for the police to do their work so the investigation can go forward."
Kuzminov's defection to Ukraine was presented as a major coup for Kyiv.
During a press conference last year, he said he could not understand why his "beloved motherland" would enter into a war with Ukraine.
Other members of the air crew died during his defection.
Moscow said Kuzminov killed them, while he said they panicked and fled, and may have been killed subsequently.
