Latest news with #MaksimKuzminov
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Ex-Ukrainian official found dead in Spanish swimming pool
A former Ukrainian official has been found dead in a swimming pool in Spain, in the same complex where a Russian defector was assassinated last year. The body of Ihor Hrushevsky, who was a senior official in Kyiv's interior ministry, was discovered on June 29 at the Cala Alta complex in Villajoyosa, Alicante, a resort home to a large Russian and Ukrainian community. He was found floating in the water, with blood on one ear, after allegedly taking a late-night swim. Spanish police described the death as accidental, possibly caused by heart attack or seizure. However, residents are alarmed as it follows the murder of Maksim Kuzminov, a former Russian military pilot, at the same resort less than 18 months ago. Mr Kuzminov, 28, was shot dead outside a garage in February 2024, six months after flying his helicopter across the front lines to Ukraine for a £400,000 reward. His murder, which is still being investigated by a court in Villajoyosa, is suspected to have been committed by Russian agents in revenge for his defection. Mr Hrushevsky, who was 61, is reported to have recently purchased a flat in the complex after retiring to Spain. He was the head of the organised crime department in the central Cherkasy and Kirovohrad regions, according to the Kyiv Post. The unit was disbanded during police reforms in 2015. 'They're saying it was a heart attack. What is clear is that he didn't drown because the water only comes up to my neck, and I'm a shorty,' Blanca, a resident of the complex, told online newspaper El Español. Another resident told the outlet that Mr Hrushevsky has been living in the complex for a few months and kept a low profile. 'Anything can happen between Ukrainians and Russians,' he said when asked about the former police officer's possible cause of death. Ukraine's foreign affairs ministry said that, according to its consulate in Barcelona, Mr Hrushevsky's death occurred as a result of drowning. The consulate provided assistance in preparing the relevant documents for the repatriation of the body to Ukraine, the ministry added. The discovery of Mr Hrushevsky's body is the latest of a string of suspicious deaths involving Ukrainians and Russians in Spain since the 2022 Russian invasion. In May, Andriy Portnov, a former Ukrainian pro-Russian politician, was shot in broad daylight in Madrid. Mr Portnov, who was a leading official under Viktor Yanukovych, the Kremlin-friendly former Ukrainian president, was dropping off his children at school when he was shot nine times by a hitman. Spanish police have made no arrests in relation to the killing. The suspect is believed to have fled from the scene in a car. In April 2022, weeks after the start of the war in Ukraine, Sergey Protosenya, a multi-millionaire Russian gas company executive, was found hanging from railings outside his luxury villa on the Costa Brava. The bodies of his wife and daughter were discovered alongside him with multiple stab wounds. Mr Protosenya had been deputy chairman of Novatek, a natural gas producer, since 2015. He was one of around eight Russian oligarchs whose bodies were found in suspicious circumstances in the six months after Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Ex-Ukrainian official found dead at the same Spanish resort where Russian defector was killed: reports
A Ukrainian former anti-organized-crime official was found dead in a pool at the same Spanish resort where a Russian military defector was gunned down a year earlier, reports said. Ihor Hrushevskyi — a 61-year-old ex-senior official with Kyiv's Interior Ministry's Department for Combating Organized Crime — was discovered floating face-down June 29 in the communal pool at the Cala Alta luxury apartment complex in Villajoyosa, El Español reported. Hrushevskyi's death comes a year after police found the bullet-riddled body of former Russian military helicopter pilot and alleged Kremlin 'traitor' Maksim Kuzminov, 28, in the underground parking garage of the same resort. Advertisement While local authorities say there were no signs of a violent attack against Hrushevskyi, foul play has not been ruled out, with officials saying Hrushevskyi's death at least appears suspicious at this point. 3 Ihor Hrushevsky, a former senior official for Ukraine's top anti-organized crime agency, was found dead inside the pool at the Cala Alta resort in Spain's Villajoyosa. REUTERS Hrushevskyi, who served Ukraine's anti-organized crime agency in the 1990s, had been one of the resort's newest guests when he went out to the pool last month at around 9:30 p.m., according to police. Shortly after, a fellow Ukrainian staying at the resort found him floating dead in the pool, with some surmising he suffered a medical episode while in the water and drowned, the local outlet reported. Advertisement As the investigation began into this death, officials and local journalists ran into difficulties identifying Hrushevskyi, given the fact that there was 'no trace in official documents or public information' about him because of the nature of his job, authorities said. Officials have yet to reveal a cause of death. 3 Maksim Kuzminov, a Russian military helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine, was found dead in the same resort last year. Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Advertisement Ukrainian officials have not commented on Hrushevskyi's death, but the foreign ministry reportedly said its consulate in Spain was handling repatriating the body. As for Kuzminov, he was marked by the Kremlin as a 'traitor' and found gunned down Feb. 13, 2024. He had been shot at least six times and run over by his attackers' car, according to Spain's state news agency EFE. 3 The former Kremlin pilot had been shot at least six times, with his attackers also running over his body in the complex's underground garage. via REUTERS The Moscow defector had been living in Spain with a Ukrainian passport and under an assumed name after fleeing Russia in his helicopter and handing top intelligence documents to Kyiv. Advertisement Before his murder, Kuzminov slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion as 'a genocide of Ukrainian people,' with the defector warned to remain in Ukraine or risk retaliation from the Kremlin. But the 28-year-old decided to move to the sunny Villajoyosa — Spanish for 'joyous village.' Months before his death, Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, claimed that Russia's top intel agency had 'given the order' to kill Kuzminov.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Mystery as ex Ukrainian official is found dead in a swimming pool at Spain complex where Russian defector helicopter pilot was assassinated
A former Ukrainian official has been found dead in a swimming pool at a Spanish residential complex where a defected Russian helicopter pilot was assassinated. Igor Hrushevsky, an ex-employee of Ukraine 's Ministry of Internal Affairs, was swimming in the pool of a residential complex called Cala Alta in Villajoyosa, south of Valencia, before he was found dead. It is the same building where Maksim Kuzminov was reportedly shot dead after he defected to Ukraine in an Mi-8 helicopter. The Kremlin was accused of carrying out Kuzminov's assassination last year. Hrushevsky, 61, was discovered by a Ukrainian neighbour face down in the swimming pool water and bleeding from one ear at around 9:30pm on June 29. He was showing no signs of life. The passersby pulled him from the water and performed CPR before calling paramedics, but the former official was unable to be saved, according to El Espanol. The cause of death has not yet been revealed. Hrushevsky's death comes just 18 months after Russian defector Kuzminov was killed inside a garage allegedly by Putin's hitmen. He was found riddled with bullets in an underground car park in Villajoyosa near on February 13. 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 pilot, who was named and awarded $500,000 (£393,000) by Ukraine after defecting in August 2024, was found dead in the carpark with his attackers allegedly escaping in his car after running him over. The killing put fear through other Russian defectors who have fled to Spain, local media reported. Russian state media claimed Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council had advised Kuzminov to stay in Ukraine, where they could protect him. But after rejecting the advice, 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. The Russian pilot had been sentenced to death for 'treason' in Russia after his shock defection, which is believed to have been the conclusion of a delicate six-month operation orchestrated by Ukraine. Police sources told The Sun at the time that the ammunition used to kill him was Russian and the move was believed to be a 'calling card', and it was feared he may have been killed by a Kremlin hit squad based in Costa Blanca. A report also claimed the same hit team may have be responsible for the 2022 death of multimillionaire Sergey Protosenya, 55, who was found hanged after allegedly killing his wife and teenage daughter with an axe as they slept in Costa Rica. Intelligence experts believed the Russian Embassy in Spain stayed on the sidelines to avoid implication, El Pais reported last year. Living under a new identity in Spain - and enriched by the Ukrainians after his defection - he had set about building a new life for himself free from the horrors of war. But he is believed to have made a fatal mistake in contacting a former flame and inviting her to his new address. 'We know he had invited an ex-girlfriend to Spain and afterwards he was found dead. That call could have been intercepted by Russian secret services,' Spanish media reported. Independent Telegram channel Volya - which monitors both sides in the war - drew a link between the case of the slain pilot and the murky circumstances surrounding the demise of multimillionaire Sergey Protosenya, 55. The former oligarch, a deputy chairman of Russian gas company Novatek, was found hanged in spring 2022 after allegedly murdering his wife Natalia, 53, and their teenage daughter, Maria, as they slept in a Catalan resort town.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Russia Today
Ex-Ukrainian police chief found dead in Spain
A man who was found dead in Spain in June from an apparent drowning has been identified as a former Ukraine police chief who once served on an organized crime task force, according to media reports. The death took place in the same apartment complex in the coastal town of Villajoyosa where a Russian military pilot who defected to Ukraine was killed last year. According to El Espanol, the body of 61-year-old Ukrainian national Igor Grushevsky was discovered floating in a shallow community pool on June 29. Grushevsky had reportedly purchased a unit in the building a few months earlier. Reporters later identified the deceased as a retired police chief who led operations against organized crime in Ukraine's Cherkasy and Kirovograd regions during the 1990s. Ukrainian diplomats confirmed the man's identity on Monday. Grushevsky appeared to have kept a low-profile with no official record of residency in Spain, leading to speculation he may have been in hiding. Spanish officials have not announced any formal investigation into foul play. Neighbors told El Espanol they believed Grushevsky may have suffered a stroke. The body reportedly showed no external injuries, though blood was seen coming from one ear. The death, described by the media as 'mysterious,' has unsettled the local community as it comes less than a year and a half after the high-profile killing of Maksim Kuzminov, a former Russian military pilot who defected to Ukraine. Kuzminov was living under a false identity in Villajoyosa with Ukrainian state protection when he was shot in what appeared to be a professional hit. Kuzminov allegedly received $500,000 from Kiev for flying an Mi-8 military helicopter into Kiev-controlled territory. Ukrainian officials claimed his two crewmates were 'liquidated' during the operation but did not specify whether Kuzminov was directly responsible for their deaths. Western outlets have accused Russia of orchestrating Kuzminov's killing in retaliation. Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Top Ukrainian ex-official found DEAD in pool at same Spain complex as assassinated Putin defector pilot who fled Russia
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. 8 8 8 8 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. 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 8 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. 8
