Russian pilot who defected found dead in Spain, says Ukraine security agency

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.

TheEighthDoctor,

Russia continues to kill in European soil with 0 consequences.

Rooter,

I don’t know why we are beating around the bush for so long, we need to declare war on Russia already.

Zeroxxx,

Who volunteer to fight? You?

Rooter,

100% yes, I would.

ExfilBravo,

Because everyone is afraid they will use nuclear warheads when the conventional war fails for them.

Everythingispenguins,

Which is not an unreasonable fear unfortunately.

Burn_The_Right,

Except it is an unreasonable fear.

Putin has a dysfunctional nuclear arsenal. His ancient systems have been maintained by notorious black market scalpers for the last 50 years. Fuel, electronic components, chassis components, nav and guidance system components, sensors and other parts are valuable. It is extremely unlikely that even a single delivery system would survive launch and make it to its destination, even if the advanced global defense systems in place completely ignored it.

If he detonated a tactical nuke instead (because his international delivery systems would fail), he would not be able to cause enough destruction to punish the EU for fighting him. He simply does not have the physical leverage EU citizens give him credit for. All he has is sabre-rattling and overt threats.

He has been bluffing for decades now. If no one ever calls his bluff, he will win. He is coming for the EU. Will the EU let him have what he wants, or will they call his bluff?

Cinner,

Let’s say that’s true and only a few USSR era nukes are maybe working, there’s no refinery happening, and China and North Korea are only willing to give them 3 nukes each for a total of 8 ICMBs (surprise, 2 were newly refined and functioning perfectly). Now they have 8 ICBMs with nuclear payloads and the backing of China, Iran, and North Korean nuclear satellite capabilities.

Which major city or strategic military post would you prefer they hit with the one that gets past defenses?

Which one does it take to start WWIII?

Rooter,

You’re right, we should just give up and hand russia all of Europe.

uis,

Putin already dclared war on Russia

Flumpkin,

Well Europe is massively supporting and supplying Ukraine with weapons. De facto Russia is in a proxy war with the US/Nato/EU.

FrostyCaveman,

He looks so young. War is terrible

DragonTypeWyvern,

Well, at least we know the West doesn’t just not give a fuck if witnesses and whistleblowers die, they don’t give a fuck if someone who straight up gave them an attack helicopter dies either.

Deceptichum,
Deceptichum avatar

What do you want them to do, build a time machine and go back to save him?

ghostdoggtv,

noobs, rez now or you’re kicked off the raid team

Nerrad,
@Nerrad@lemmy.world avatar

At least he died on the correct side of history.

Everythingispenguins,

You know it is small condolences, but still not nothing. I would hope that I will be able to say that for myself.

PrincessLeiasCat,

That’s really scary to think they tracked him down like that. Like it’s one guy, let it go.

Hegar,
Hegar avatar

It's way more than one guy, it's an example.

grabyourmotherskeys,

You aren’t dealing with a government (although they also let nothing like this go), it’s organized crime on a grand scale.

deafboy,
@deafboy@lemmy.world avatar

Well, a government is nothing more than a public branch of mafia.

grabyourmotherskeys,

The people down voting you should try not paying taxes for a while and we’ll see how that goes for them.

splicerslicer,

No. A mafia makes you pay “protection” from the things they’ll do to you if you don’t pay. A government makes pay taxes for a very real threat of what other nations and people within your nation will do without that security they provide. They also build roads and bridges and fire departments, water towers and plumbing, and other things necessary for a civilized world.

reverendsteveii,

In turn of the century Sicily at least the mafia did all of that. They were the de facto government and provided services. It was much less like it was in the new world where organized crime developed under a functioning democratic government and operated in secret and much more like an informal feudal state persisting past the unification of Italy that really did have (and require) popular support.

deafboy,
@deafboy@lemmy.world avatar

During the the wild 90’s, shortly after the revolution, in a small eastern european country, most gangs actually provided the protection. Not only from themselves, but from anybody who’d dare to make trouble in your establishment.

But the competition was getting tough. One can only bomb so many cars and disappear so many people until the public starts to demand a change.

Not all the gangs were led by incompetent idiots though. Some had a vision. They got themselves allies in the highest places, to ensure the monopoly they craved. Instead of “protecting” small pubs, they started to think bigger, and became public contractors, working for the government.

It all started more than 20 years ago, but the same people, same companies are still there, still making profit to this day. Not building roads, but protecting the state owned buildings and government employees.

The core business is the same, they just became… civilized.

grabyourmotherskeys,

Sadly true and most people aren’t wired to see it. The difference, in my mind, is the degree to which this is politely hidden. I do pay tax willing and recognize the value of government versus anarchy but this is true on a fundamental level.

thragtacular,

And pisspants everywhere will sit by and let Putin get away with yet another murder.

BolexForSoup,
BolexForSoup avatar

Pisspants?

febra,

And who will take out Putin? I don’t think it’s that easy to get to him. Especially without starting a broader war.

Assman,
@Assman@sh.itjust.works avatar

I mean they have like three allies at this point, and two of them can’t even keep the electric on for 24 hours

NoIWontPickaName,

It’s the 5000 other Allies that are the problem.

Even at an 80% failure rate that is still 1000 nukes

eran_morad,

Haven’t you heard? Cunts on Lemmy assure us that none of russia’s nukes work.

thragtacular,

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.

halva,
@halva@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

congratulations, now there’s a 1/10-of-the-earth-landmass sized north korea with nukes

thragtacular,

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.

gravitas_deficiency,

b- but that would be… unprofitable >:(

HakFoo,

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

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

thragtacular,

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,

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.

SolarMech,

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,

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.

FreddyDunningKruger,

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…

Holzkohlen,

I have been asking myself: what if he had say the German chancellor killed? What are we gonna do about it? Do we invade Russia because of that? I don’t think so. Alright, so what then? Send some assassins his way? Nope, not gonna happen. Probably more safety protocols for high ranking politicians and that’s it. I honestly think Putin could just get away with it.

Paddzr,

Yes, you do invade Rusia then because that’s what NATO was always there to do. Deter and once pushed, bring the might down onto anyone who wronged one of the members.

Burn_The_Right,

It seems no one will call Putin’s bluff. Every time Medvedev calls out specific countries that Russia will nuke if a line is crossed, the civilized world has a moral obligation to cross that line and call the bluff. We must call their bluff. Failing to call their bluff is capitulation and surrender.

d00ery,

I think the guilty party could only be more obvious if he’d fallen out of a window…

Maalus,

Yeah, that’s the point of making an example of someone. Russia is a mafia mascarading as a country.

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