Russian Pilot who Defected to Ukraine Killed in Spain

Monday, February 19, 2024

The Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine last year by flying a military Mi-8 helicopter across the shared border has been found dead in Spain -- months after the government he abandoned swore it would seek revenge.

Posted by reinheitsgebot at 08:32 PM | 10 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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This will definitely chill future defections. Surprised that we weren't able to do a better job keeping him safe.

I wonder if he screwed up and blew his cover, running his mouth or contacting peeps back in Mother Russia.

#1 | Posted by censored at 2024-02-19 06:13 PM | Reply

It's not nice to fool Mother Putin.

I hope Spain finds a way to some hurt on Vlad.

#2 | Posted by Corky at 2024-02-19 08:50 PM | Reply

The pilot from Ukraine felt a lot of pain when he was shot in brain while defecting to Spain.

:-(

#3 | Posted by sentinel at 2024-02-19 09:42 PM | Reply

Putin's FSB is trying to catch up with Lenin's Cheka and Stalin's NKVD. Those horrible institutions made Soviet Russia a more horrible place than Tsarist Russia. Welcome to Putin World. Trying to set a standard of social immorality as never seen before. Thank G*d his former-KGB sidekick Kirill is Patiarch of the ROC (Russian Orthodox Church). Kirill will give Vlad dispensation for his sins, and Putin will let Kirill skim from Russia's faithful Kirill sells indulgences to Russia's duped believers.

#4 | Posted by Augustine at 2024-02-19 09:59 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

The Ukrainian intelligence agency would later say that Kuzminov's two companions refused to surrender and "died immediately after landing."
~ FTA

Really?

A twofer I guess.

#5 | Posted by oneironaut at 2024-02-20 12:22 AM | Reply

Putin's closing in on ruling Russia longer than Stalin did. And just as brutally.

#6 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-02-20 02:11 AM | Reply

The smartest Russians were the estimated
500k males that fled Russia at the beginning
of the war in Ukraine. I hope they live
prosperous happy lives outside of Russia.

Vlad is evil, but at least not wise...

#7 | Posted by earthmuse at 2024-02-20 06:36 AM | Reply

Rumor is that he was hanging in a town full of Russian expats, throwing his money around, not really trying to hide his identity, and staying in contact with an ex-girlfriend. So I guess it wasn't that difficult to track him down.

Still sucks that he was gunned down. Ukrainians wanted him to stay in Ukraine since they thought they could do a better job of protecting him there.

#8 | Posted by censored at 2024-02-20 02:19 PM | Reply

You think that any defector in time of war is not susceptible to being treated as a traitor by the country he/she defected from? Nothing new here. The biggest mistake and outrage is this situation is why there were no attempts by Present Biden, UN, Zelensky and Putin to negotiate a peace settlement before the ridiculous tragic war broke out that killed many from Russia Ukraine and destroyed Ukraine.

NO Ukraine NATO membership ever was the demand from Putin. The Neocon Democrats under Hillary and Biden and Nuland etc have become the war mongering party. Russia was never going to accept nukes on their border with a NATO Ukraine. NATO leadership knew that it would lead to war that would suck us all into WW3. The USA never would accept Russia nukes on our border either.

#9 | Posted by Robson at 2024-02-21 12:31 PM | Reply

You're defending PUTIN, ROBSON. A man who would be glad to throw your granny from a window just to show you he could. But, I don't know. Perhaps you hate your grandmother.

#10 | Posted by Zed at 2024-02-21 12:39 PM | Reply