Maksim Kuzminov, who changed sides in secret operation, killed after allegedly moving to Alicante, reports suggest

A Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine last year in a secret operation has been found dead in Spain, according to the main military intelligence agency in Kyiv.

Reports in Russian and Spanish media on Monday said Maksim Kuzminov was found dead after allegedly moving to the town of Villajoyosa in Alicante on the Mediterranean coast, in an area popular with holidaymakers. His body was discovered last Tuesday, it was said, on the car park ramp underneath an apartment block.

The reports claimed he had been murdered by unknown gunmen who fired 12 shots. A burnt-out car was discovered nearby in the Costa Blanca town of El Campello. Spanish police had initially thought the shooting was gang-related before reportedly learning of the victim’s extraordinary backstory and his former role in Russia’s war and invasion.

  • thragtacular@kbin.social
    402·
    9 months ago

    You don’t have to take anyone out. Completely cut them off from the rest of the world. Nothing in, nothing out. No financial transactions. Seize all Russian owned assets outside of Russia.

    Squeeze the body hard enough and the head will pop.

    • HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      20·
      9 months ago

      That’s working so well with the DPRK, though.

      And Russia has a lot more resources and infrastructure to dig in with.

      • thragtacular@kbin.social
        81·
        9 months ago

        The moment that the oligarchs and their precious babies can’t winter in Cancun because their passports are worthless is the moment things start to change. Rapidly.

        There is no such structure in the DPRK. It’s an enforced religious cult masquerading as a country.

    • febra@lemmy.worldEnglish
      91·
      9 months ago

      Yeah, we’ve seen how well that worked out for us… we’re still buying up their oil, but this time through middle men. If you really want to cut Russia off then you should first have a talk with our capitalist overlords.

      • thragtacular@kbin.social
        33·
        9 months ago

        If you don’t understand the difference between an enforced national religious cult (DPRK) and a tenuous “democracy” that’s only allowed to exist for as long as the oligarchs are able to maintain their income…

        …learn.

    • SolarMech@slrpnk.netEnglish
      51·
      9 months ago

      It has literally been tried. You don’t control the world. China, North Korea, Iran and India get to do what they want. They have their own interests too look out for and could care less about a European country being invaded by another European country.

      • thragtacular@kbin.social
        33·
        9 months ago

        Ah yes, that well-known financial bastion of… North Korea… where all oligarchs go to hide their money.

        I don’t think you know how financial transactions work.

        • FreddyDunningKrugerEnglish
          2·
          9 months ago

          I like to play a game with comments like yours. I call it “Bad Faith or Stupid”. OP also mentioned China, right? So did you ONLY pick the weakest example on his list to build a strawman in bad faith, or…