Sources close to the investigation told the Spanish agency EFE that the man shot dead in a garage in Villajoyosa on February 13 was Maxim Kuzminov, a Russian pilot who hijacked a Mi-8 helicopter belonging to the Russian Armed Forces and traveled to Ukraine. Investigators consider the documents found on him to be fake according to the same sources.
Europa Press, citing Civil Guard sources, added that a further inquiry has been opened to determine the identity of the murdered individual. Although Kuzminov was 28 years old and a Russian citizen, media reports referenced a 33-year-old Ukrainian as the deceased. EFE interlocutors insist that the documents found on the body do not match reality.
EFE reported that the man was shot approximately six times and, in the initial assessment, the vehicle used by the killers to escape ran over his body. The death of Maxim Kuzminov was confirmed by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and the case had already appeared in the press at that time.
In September 2023, Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, stated that Ukrainian intelligence had succeeded in convincing a Russian soldier to land an Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian Armed Forces on Ukrainian soil. Kuzminov later spoke at a press conference in Kiev, articulating his reasons for taking the action and his negative view of the military operation. Police officials subsequently reported that he relocated to Spain sometime after the incident.
Earlier reports suggested a prior trip to Russia with a hijacked Su-27 aircraft, and references described him as an Air Force pilot in some narratives. These details have varied across outlets as investigations continued and new information emerged about the events surrounding the incident.