A Russian military helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine last year along with his aircraft was found shot dead in Spain.
Maksim Kuzminov had received $500,000 from Ukraine for defecting.
He was living in Alicante under an assumed identity given Russia had ordered his killing.
His body was discovered riddled with bullets and run over in a parking garage.
The getaway car was later found burned.
While authorities have not identified the body, Ukrainian media confirmed it was Kuzminov, saying he had been threatened after moving to Spain.
Russia called him a “traitor” who died morally upon defecting, alleging without evidence that Ukraine may have killed him to eliminate an inconvenient witness.
His defection was a high-profile case of desertion from Russia during the war that the country saw as a problem, even confiscating passports to prevent defections.
Most Popular:
FBI Informant Who Criticized Biden Gets Bad News
Drag Queen Principal Learns His Fate Amid Controversy
