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.

    • febra@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

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

      • thragtacular@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        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.

        • HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org
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          9 months ago

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

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

          • thragtacular@kbin.social
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            9 months ago

            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@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          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.

        • halva@discuss.tchncs.de
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          9 months ago

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

          • thragtacular@kbin.social
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            9 months ago

            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.

        • SolarMech@slrpnk.net
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          9 months ago

          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@kbin.social
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            9 months ago

            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@lemmy.ml
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              9 months ago

              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…

      • The Assman@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

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

      • Holzkohlen@feddit.de
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        9 months ago

        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@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          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@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            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.