Russian military pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who defected to Ukraine and then settled in Spain, made several serious mistakes.
This information was reported by The New York Times, URA-Inform reports.
This likely helped Russian intelligence services track him down and kill him on February 13th. Few of the Spanish investigators doubt that they are behind this crime, although no traces directly pointing to the “hand of the Kremlin” have yet been found.
It is known that Kuzminov was offered to fight on the Ukrainian side, but he decided to settle in Spain. Having received a Ukrainian passport in the name of Igor Shevchenko, he bought an apartment in the resort town of Villajoyosa.
That was the first mistake, another Russian defector who also lives in Spain told the NYT on condition of anonymity. He called Villajoyosa a “red zone” swarming with Russian agents.
The area is also well known for being home to Russian organized crime, some with ties to Russia's intelligence services, Spanish officials say.
Also at his new place of residence, Kuzminov behaved «imprudently», says a senior Civil Guard official, — went to bars popular among Russians and Ukrainians, spent money, drove around in a Mercedes. S-class.
Exactly how the killers found him has not been established, but, according to two high-ranking officials, Kuzminov contacted his ex-girlfriend in Russia and invited him to come to him in Spain.
«That was a huge mistake», — said one of them.
Recall that it was previously reported that NATO has a new proposal on Ukraine: Stoltenberg said how to help Kyiv.