MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate Andrey Yusov has confirmed the death of Maxim Kuzminov, a pilot who hijacked a Russian military helicopter in 2023.

"We can confirm [Kuzminov’s] death," he said, as cited by RBC Ukraine.

Earlier, Kuzminov’s death was reported by Italy’s Il Corrispondente media outlet, which cited a source in the Spanish Civil Guard who "is investigating the case." Spain’s Eureka News also reported on the death.

The ABC newspaper was the first to report the crime in question, which had been committed in the town of Villajoyosa in the Province of Alicante, naming "a 33-year-old Ukrainian" as the victim.

A spokesperson for the Spanish Civil Guard told TASS that law enforcement agencies were looking into the alleged murder of a 33-year-old Ukrainian national whose body "with gunshot wounds" had been found in a garage in the Province of Alicante. Police officers declined to provide more details, saying that the investigation was still ongoing.