
Top Ukrainian ex-official found DEAD in pool at same Spain complex as assassinated Putin defector pilot who fled Russia
HITMAN FEARS Top Ukrainian ex-official found DEAD in pool at same Spain complex as assassinated Putin defector pilot who fled Russia
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A FORMER Ukrainian official has been found dead at the same spot where a defected Russian chopper pilot was assassinated.
Igor Hrushevsky, an ex-employee of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, was mysteriously found dead at a residential complex in Spain.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
8
Maxim Kuzminov was a Russian who defected to Ukraine
Credit: Wikipedia
8
A swimming pool in the residential area of La Cala de Villajoyosa, where both Hrushevsky and Kuzminov were found dead
Credit: Darren Fletcher
8
The chopper pilot is said to have been assassinated by thr Russians
8
Kuzminov was on Putin's most-wanted list after being paid a reported £400,000 to steal his Russian military chopper and defect to Ukraine
Credit: Wikipedia
Ihor was swimming in the pool of a residential complex called Cala Alta in Villajoyosa, south of Valencia.
It is the same building where Maksim Kuzminov was apparently shot dead after he defected to Ukraine in an Mi-8 helicopter.
The Kremlin was accused of carrying out Kuzminov's assassination back in 2024.
Hrushevsky was found face down in the water, with no signs of life.
Though he was bleeding from one ear.
Locals rushed to pull him out of the water and performed CPR, but failed to save his life, according to local media outlet El Español.
The cause of death has not been revealed yet.
Hrushevsky's death comes just 18 months after Russian defector Kuzminov was killed inside a garage allegedly by Putin's hitmen.
Ruben, a local worker, told The Sun he discovered the army captain, 28, in a pool of blood soon after what is believed to have been a brazen Kremlin-ordered hit job.
The ruthless despot's hitmen are said to have tracked down and executed the Russian helicopter pilot who fled to the Costa resort after defecting to Ukraine in August 2023.
From 'moving' corpse & corruption scandal to quick 'suicide' story: 5 glaring questions in gun death of Putin minister
The Sun was given access to the eerie murder scene yesterday, where Kuzminov was found gunned down.
He was dispatched in cold blood by six shots from a pistol believed to have been fitted with a silencer just a 10 minute drive from Benidorm's party strip.
We walked his final steps around 50 metres to the spot where his body was found just short of the parking garage's electrically-operated metal doors.
Kuzminov was on Putin's most-wanted list after being paid a reported £400,000 to steal his Russian military chopper in a major propaganda coup for Ukraine.
He had been given a new identity and joined a large community of Russian speakers living in and around Benidorm using a Ukrainian passport with the name Igor Shevchenko.
Ukraine's military intelligence later confirmed it had courted him to defect, as Kuzimov appealed to other pilots to follow his lead.
In an interview broadcast by Ukraine's authorities, Kuzimov said: "I contacted representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, explained my situation, to which they offered this option: 'Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee monetary compensation, a reward.'"
8
The garage where Kuzminov was found dead
Credit: Darren Fletcher
8
Cops at the scene where the pilot was found dead
Credit: Reuters
8
Kuzminov fled Russia in a £15million helicopter after killing his two co-pilots, according to Russian media
Credit: East2West
The defector is believed to have moved to a flat which he was renovating and hoped to start a new life in the Benidorm suburb of Villajoyosa.
Despite the continuing carnage between their nations in Eastern Europe, Russians and Ukrainians live side-by-side in Spain alongside British ex-pats and trippers.
But Spanish police believed a Kremlin death squad had infiltrated the community and is standing by to liquidate more Putin enemies.
Russian state media sensationally claimed Kuzminov shot and killed two of his crewmates who did not support him before he touched down in Ukraine.
Their names were Nikita Kiryanov, 28, and Khushbat Tursunov, 35.
Reports also alleged Putin's GRU military intelligence agents had orders to 'eliminate' him, no matter how long it took.
The same GRU unit was allegedly behind the botched nerve agent attacks on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Anti-corruption agencies endorse bill restoring their independence
The Ukrainian anti-corruption body, Nabu, said a new bill submitted to parliament on Thursday 'restores all procedural powers and guarantees of independence of the Nabu and Sapo'. Nabu investigates corruption cases and Sapo prosecutes them. A Nabu statement said both agencies took part in the preparation of the new law and they urged the parliament 'to adopt the president's initiative … in its entirety as soon as possible. This will prevent threats to criminal proceedings brought by the Nabu and the Sapo.' The EU welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy's move to reinstate the independence of the anti-corruption agencies after the shock adoption this week of a bill that stripped their autonomy. After protests on the streets and from international allies of Ukraine, the Ukrainian president said the further bill would ensure the rule of law and the independence of the anti-corruption agencies. An EU spokesperson said: 'We provide significant financial support to Ukraine and this is conditional to progress and transparency, judicial reform and democratic governance.' Those points were reinforced by European leaders with whom Zelenskyy consulted over the crisis, including Ursula von der Leyen, Friedrich Merz of Germany and the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer. There were tensions over the Ukraine war as EU officials met the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in Beijing on Thursday. Antonio Costa, the European Council president, said the EU officials discussed 'at length' their expectations for China to discourage Russia in its war against Ukraine. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, prior to the meeting said China was 'enabling Russia's war economy'. Xi told EU to 'properly handle differences and frictions … The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China.' A Russian attack killed three family members already displaced by the war, authorities announced on Thursday. The father, mother and son had fled to the village of Pidlyman in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine after Russian forces invaded their home town. A strike later on Kharkiv city wounded 33 people, including a 10-year-old girl, a 17-year-old boy and girl, the governor said. A separate Russian drone and missile barrage wounded seven people including a child in the central Ukrainian region of Cherkasy, emergency services said. The US state department on Thursday said it had approved military sales worth US$330m to Ukraine comprising $150m worth of maintenance, repair and overhaul capability for M109 self-propelled howitzers, and $180m to sustain air defences. The Pentagon said contractors involved would include BAE Systems, Allison Transmission, Daimler Truck North America, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Radionix and Systems Electronic Export. The US on Wednesday announced sales of $322m related to Hawk surface-to-air missiles and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. Reuters are reporting that an Indian company shipped $1.4m worth of an explosive used in missile warheads, rocket motors and bombs to Russia in December 2024 despite the threat of US sanctions, according to Indian customs data seen by the news agency. One Russian company listed as receiving the compound, known as HMX or octogen, was an explosives manufacturer, which Ukraine's SBU security service has linked to Moscow's military. An SBU official said Ukraine launched a drone attack in April against one of the company's factories. The US government has identified HMX/octogen as 'critical for Russia's war effort'. The US state department did not comment to Reuters on the specific shipments but said it had repeatedly communicated to India that companies doing military-related business with Russia were at risk of sanctions. However, under Donald Trump, Russia-related sanctions work has slowed to a trickle. India's foreign ministry said in a statement: 'India has been carrying out exports of dual-use items taking into account its international obligations on non-proliferation,' adding that such exports were subject to 'holistic assessment'.


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Hero fireman sues after being disciplined for using the term 'fireman'
A hero firefighter is suing his former fire service after being disciplined for not preventing his staff from saying the term 'fireman'. Simon Bailey, 58, who was previously praised for his bravery, was handed a warning and downgraded after using the 'sexist' word. The ex-Avon Fire and Rescue Service firefighter said he felt dismayed and physically unwell after receiving the disciplinary letter. Recalling how his 'world came crashing down', he revealed the ordeal has left him a shell of his former self. He told The Sun: 'When I received the disciplinary letter, I felt physically sick and devastated. I became a shell of myself. 'This is not how I wanted my 27 years of service to end. I don't tend to tell people I used to be a firefighter as I almost feel embarrassed because of the way I was treated. 'I have a letter of commendation from the chief, congratulating me on my service, but it's just left in a drawer now.' Now, he has taken his former station to an employment tribunal on the grounds of constructive dismissal. Barrister, Adam Griffiths, representing Mr Bailey, questioned assistant fire chief Luke Gazzard, who led the disciplinary investigation, about the use of the term 'fireman'. At a hearing in Bristol, he challenged Mr Gazzard on holding an employee to such a standard about a word that has been used for 'the last 150 years'. He went on to suggest there would 'obviously' be a formal letter or a directive to enforce such standards. The disciplinary probe came after a female firefighter Sasha Acheson claimed she experienced sexual harassment, discrimination and victimisation at the same station. The former England rugby player won the sex discrimination and constructive dismissal case as well as numerous claims of sex harassment, victimisation and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation. Later, it was concluded a crew manager had made offensive comments to the firefighter, who was gay, and, in a separate case, she is set to win compensation totaling to over £50,000. Representing Avon Fire and Rescue Service, barrister Emma Sole, contested Mr Bailey, their boss, did not answer a 'serious grievance'. The watch manager's claim is set to be decided at a later date.


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
British mother who smuggled £1.6m of cannabis into Mauritius hidden in her six-year-old son's suitcase faces a year in hellhole prison BEFORE her trial
A British mother who is accused of trying to smuggle cannabis into Mauritius inside her six-year-old son's suitcase is being held in a notorious hell hole prison on the holiday island, MailOnline can reveal. Natashia Artug, 35, faces waiting more than a year on remand in the womens' section of Beau Bassin Central Prison just outside the island capital Port Louis before she is brought to trial. The jail with around 135 women inmates has been described as being filthy with prisoners often having to spend hours outside 'under the scorching sun'. Mother-of-two Natashia from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was arrested with six other Britons and her Romanian boyfriend after they allegedly tried to smuggle 161kgs of cannabis worth £1.6million into Mauritius. But the authorities are said to be treating her case with particular seriousness because cannabis weighing 14kg was found wrapped in cellophane packages and stuffed inside her six-year-old son's wheelie case. The shock discovery was made after the group's British Airways flight from Gatwick touched down at the island's Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport last month. Natashia is being held alongside four other British women Lily Watson, 20, Shannon Ellen Josie Holness, 29, Laura Amy Kappen 28, and Shona Campbell, 32, who are all from Cambridgeshire and were arrested with her, according to local newspaper Le Mauricien. She was initially held under guard with her son in the headquarters of the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit in Mauritius so they could be together. But she is believed to have been transferred to the Beau Bassin Central Prison after her son's father reportedly flew over to collect him and took him back to the UK. More than half the women in the jail are said to be foreign with the majority serving sentences or on remand for drug offences. A Human Rights report by the US State Department in 2014 highlighted prison conditions in Mauritius, saying they 'did not always meet international standards' and drug abuse had been reported in jails across the island. The report said media reports had highlighted a 'lack of hygiene, sanitation, and basic medical care' as 'problems' at Beau Bassin Central Prison. In a further comment on the jail, it added: 'Given the lack of administrative remedies, inmates' relatives sometimes turned to private radio stations to denounce hygiene conditions or other problems.' The report did not specify whether the issues related to the womens' section of the jail or the far larger mens' section. It did, however, describe record keeping in prisons on Mauritius as 'adequate' with inmates able to have visitors, submit complaints and follow religious observance The report also said there were no reports of threats to life or health, food shortages, poor ventilation, extreme temperatures or lighting problems in the nation's other prison facilities. A Russian woman whose sister was being held on drug smuggling charges at Beau Bassin Central Prison highlighted her fears about the jail in a Reddit post. The woman said conditions in the prison were potentially worsening her sister's long standing medical conditions, and her complaints to authorities in Mauritius were being ignored. She wrote: 'Sometime I can communicate with she (sic), and she always complain on conditions of imprisonment. 'She doesn't have normal access to medicines, clean drinking water. Sanitary conditions are terrible. She often hear verbal harassment and threats, sounds like 'You'll die here'. Abuse on racial prejudice. 'Most of the time the prisoners are in the prison yard under the scorching sun. Foreign prisoners are not allowed to wear hats.' The Association for the Prevention of Torture based in Geneva, Switzerland, highlighted conditions for women inmates in Mauritius in a more recent report in August last year. It made a series of recommendations including calls for the renovation of the kitchen with a larger cold room for vegetables and fruits, more fridges, and addition psychiatrists to provide mental health care for inmates The report also said authorities should provide protective gear such as gloves, aprons and rubber boots for women cleaning shower units. It further called for more Skype calls to be made available for foreign prisoners to keep in touch with family and friends with 'income generating opportunities' for women to pay for calls. The UK Government website also talks of prison conditions in Mauritius, saying: 'Imprisonment is generally in small cells with a number of other detainees. 'Mauritius is one of the rare countries where time out of cell is from 6.15am to 5pm. Prison officials will normally speak English to British prisoners. 'Many other detainees can also speak English although most of them will speak in the local language (Creole). While in detention, detainees can have access to the prison library where English books are available. 'All prisons on the island are Human Rights standards compliant. Civil Society and NGOs are widely involved in assisting at prisons. The prison has both an internal and external inspectorate.' The website added that there were opportunities to work and study in Mauritius prisons with a range of options such as gas welding, metal fabrication, basketry, woodwork, pastry baking. Hairdressing, garment making and beautycare are also available in the womens' prison. Natashia's Romanian boyfriend Florian Lisman, 38, and window fitter Patrick Wilsdon, 21, of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, who were also arrested at the airport are in a mens' prison. Mauritian authorities have stated that they believe the group were all acting as drug mules, hired to bring drugs on to the island. Natashia who is said to be 'vulnerable' claims she was coerced into travelling to Mauritius by drug traffickers who threatened her family. Non-profit group Justice Abroad said she did not know the bags she was carrying contained cannabis. She has launched a crowdfunder appealing for £5,000 to fight the serious charges. Justice Abroad said mother-of-two Natashia suffered from fibromyalgia and was currently attending university. They added: 'This case raises serious concerns about the exploitation of a young mother by a criminal gang. 'She now faces criminal trial in Mauritius separated from her children and without the resources to mount an adequate defence and to put together the evidence of the duress and exploitation.' Authorities on Mauritius have branded the use of a child in the audacious drug smuggling plot as 'outrageous and inhumane'. They added: 'This is one of the most revolting cases we have encountered in recent years.' Patrick's mother Carly Wilsdon previously said that he had gone to Mauritius after being being offered a 'free holiday'. She said: 'He wouldn't have known what he was doing because he wouldn't get involved in drugs. 'The person who told them about this free holiday is one of his circle of friends but now he has disappeared. 'He told them that he had been before and that they would meet someone there. There was no mention of drugs. 'It is so hard. He could be looking at 30 years. He has never been in trouble and only been abroad once before. 'I missed a call from him on the day they arrived. I thought it was to show me the apartment. I can't believe what's happened.' Speaking outside her home last month, a relative of Laura Kappen said: 'She is not a bad kid. She's never done anything wrong in her life but I guess she has done something foolish. Someone must have enticed them with money.' A relative of Shona Campbell said: 'It is really difficult. She's got two little kids and they don't know. It's horrible.' A Foreign Office spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are supporting a British national detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities.'