Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine shot dead in Spain

A Russian pilot who had defected to Ukraine last year was found dead in a underground garage in Spain last week, with multiple gunshot wounds, according to reports from Ukrainian and Spanish media on Monday.

The body discovered on February 13 in the town of Villajoyosa, near Alicante in southern Spain, has been identified as that of pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who had landed in Ukraine with his Mi-8 helicopter in August last year.

Kuzminov had been residing in Spain under a different name, using a Ukrainian passport, sorces reported.

While the cause of his death has not been specified by Ukrainian military intelligence, a spokesperson confirmed his demise in Spain.

Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainska Pravda also reported that Kuzminov had been found shot dead.

Spanish authorities have confirmed the discovery of a body of a gunshot victim in the town, but have not revealed the victim's identity.

A source from Spain's Guardia Civil police force informed that the victim may have been living under a fake identity.

Spain's La Informacion newspaper, the first to report the shooting, stated that investigators are searching for two suspects who fled in a vehicle that was later found burnt out in a nearby town.