Madrid Closes Probe Into Killing of Russian Pilot Who Flew Mi-8 to Ukraine

Spain has suspended the investigation into the killing of former Russian pilot Maksim Kuzminov, who in August 2023 hijacked a Mi-8 military helicopter and flew it to Ukraine.

The court ordered a temporary halt to the proceedings.

The case was suspended due to a lack of evidence sufficient to charge “a specific person as perpetrator, accomplice or accessory.”

Law enforcement officials said they were unable to identify the attackers or the organizer of the killing. The case may be reopened if new evidence emerges.

The press service of the Spanish judiciary said the 33-year-old died of multiple gunshot wounds on February 13, 2024, in the parking area of a residential facility near Rosa dels Vents Avenue in the southeastern city of Villajoyosa.

Earlier, El País reported that Spanish intelligence services believe Russian intelligence was involved in Kuzminov’s killing. The New York Times wrote that the defector was shot with a Makarov pistol and that two assailants fled the scene.

CBS reported, citing a source familiar with the investigation, that the former pilot may have been killed by two members of the Russian security services.

Operation

On September 3, 2023, Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, disclosed details of Operation Sinitsa, during which a Russian Mi-8AMTSh helicopter with its crew was lured into Ukrainian territory.

According to Kuzminov, he “did not simply hijack the helicopter, but officially flew it from point A to point B,” as the route and landing site in Ukraine had been coordinated in advance. On August 9, at 16:30, he took off from the Kursk airfield and headed toward the Kharkiv region.

Near the settlement of Shebekine, he flew at extremely low altitude — 5-10 meters — with the radio off. When crossing the border, the helicopter came under fire.

Kuzminov shared that he urged the other two crew members to surrender to Ukrainian forces, but they acted aggressively and, after landing, ran toward the border.

As a result of the operation, the two crew members of the Mi-8AMTSh helicopter, tail number 62, were killed, and Ukrainian forces seized the aircraft.