The New York Times Daily News reported that two people suspected of murdering Russian military pilot Maxim Kuzminov in Spain left 9-millimeter Makarov pistol cartridges at the scene of the crime.
Kuzminov left Ukraine in October 2023. On the Mediterranean coast, he settled in Villajojos, Spain, which was popular with tourists from Great Britain and Eastern Europe. He lived in an apartment building a ten-minute walk from the beach.
Kuzminov led a “reckless life” in Spain, a senior Civil Guard officer overseeing the murder investigation told the newspaper. The former pilot went to bars popular among Russians and Ukrainians and spent the money received from the Ukrainian authorities. For example, he drove a black Mercedes S-Class around Vilahojoyosa.
Exactly how the killers found Kuzminov is still unclear, but two senior Ukrainian officials told the NYT that the pilot had contacted his ex-girlfriend in Russia and invited her to come to him in Spain. “It was a serious mistake,” one of the officials said.
