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Maxim Kuzminov (28) worked with the Ukrainian secret service for six months on the plan for his escape. At the end of August the time had come: the Russian pilot boarded a helicopter and defected. A coup for the Ukrainian secret service, a public humiliation for the Kremlin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) apparently does not want to let go of the matter; Kuzminov has now been declared an enemy of the state. Russian military intelligence was tasked with killing the young man.
TV report about Maxim Kuzminov
News of the murder order was announced on state television. On October 1, images of Kuzminov were presented on the television channel Rossiya 1 as part of the program “News of the Week”.
In one report, military correspondent Sergei Zenin calls Kuzminov a “traitor to the homeland,” while showing several interviews Kuzminov gave to Ukrainian journalists. Zenin is said to have murdered two of his comrades. These are said to have been members of the crew of the Mi-8 helicopter, whom he allegedly lured to Ukrainian territory by deception.
Special forces must kill Kuzminov
“The traitor Kuzminov will not be forgiven,” Kremlin mouthpiece Zenin explains. A counterintelligence representative said his crime was not subject to the statute of limitations. “All pilots currently fighting in the Northern Military District dream of taking revenge for the deaths of their comrades.”
Moreover, the Russian special forces had already received the order to kill. In the TV report, masked people promise that the pilot will be found definitively.
On August 23, Kuzminov, in cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence, hijacked a Mi-8 helicopter and landed it on Ukrainian territory, where he surrendered. Two other crew members died during their escape. The head of Ukraine’s secret service, Kyrylo Budanov, 37, claimed they were killed trying to escape. After the spectacular escape, the Russian FSB opened criminal proceedings against Kuzminov.
«I contacted the Ukrainian secret service and described my situation. I was offered security guarantees, new documents and financial compensation in exchange for my defection,” Kuzminov said on Ukrainian television after his escape.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
