The head of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, told the details of the murder of the russian pilot Maksim Kuzminov, who drove the Mi-8 helicopter to Ukraine.
Budanov recalled the incident during an interview with BBC Ukraine.
According to Budanov, Kuzminov was killed in Spain because he began to disregard safety rules.
"This, unfortunately, is a classic psychological mistake of people. When people relax, they have money and they seem to be looking after their safety. But at the same time, the desire for fame clouds everyone's eyes. And they start saying, "do you know who I am?", "but don’t tell anyone, I'm just telling you." Similarly, then they start calling girls from the russian federation, whom they know from the past, telling them how much money they have now, how wonderful they live in Spain, and so on," head of the Defense Intelligence said.
At the same time, Kyrylo Budanov admits that the Defense Intelligence made a mistake when they believed that the russian military would continue to take the necessary security measures without the supervision of Ukrainian intelligence.
"Such behavior of people in the world, at different times and in different situations, is a typical mistake. And, unfortunately, it happened to us in the same way. This too must be admitted. I have never been afraid to admit mistakes and I must say the same here. It was still necessary to watch over him, and not to believe that "I am an adult, I know how to behave," Kyrylo Budanov said.
As previously reported, in August 2023, russian military pilot Maksim Kuzminov flew to Ukraine on a Mi-8 helicopter and surrendered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees for himself and his family. After that, Kuzminov received a monetary reward for the helicopter and wanted to move to Spain for permanent residence.
In February of this year, it became known that Kuzminov was found shot dead in the Spanish city of La Villajoyosa. The killers were never found.
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