Unit 29155 behind the murder of a Russian pilot

Russian military pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who defected to Ukraine in agreement with Ukrainian intelligence, was killed by people from Unit 29155 of Russia’s Defense Ministry; the Unit took part in an effort to eliminate the Skripals in England with Novichok nerve agent, and attempted a coup in Montenegro (commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Andrei Averyanov).

Kuzminov, aged 28, a Russian army captain, was opposed to the war in Ukraine and contacted the representatives of Ukrainian intelligence. He defected to Ukraine on August 9, by flying his helicopter loaded with jet parts across the border. The two other Russian service members on board were: Khushbakht Tursunov, aged 35, a navigator and Nikita Kiryanov, aged 28, a flight technician. They were killed while trying to escape to Russia.

The man’s corpse was found on February 13 inside the parking garage of an apartment building in Villajoyosa in Alicante province on the south-east coast of Spain. He was shot and run over with his own car. Kuzminov lived in Spain on forged documents and the government, apparently, had no idea about a Russian military pilot living in Spain and, therefore, failed to provide him with protection.

We believe Moscow got Kuzminov’s location after he had contact with his ex-girlfriend, obviously followed by Russian counterespionage unit.

Spanish special agencies confirm the version of Russian intelligence being involved in Kuzminov’s killing, as they believe the Kremlin is behind. Diplomatic sources raise serious concern, with Spain ready to act decisively, if Russia’s involvement is ultimately confirmed. We believe, however, Madrid, like all of Europe, has currently lost the tools to combat Russian sabotage in Europe. With national governments unable to block the export of sanctions goods to Russia, the impact of sanctions pressure on Moscow is reduced, while the number of Russian sabotage operations in Europe is likely to increase, which is in accordance with our analysts’ findings of September 2023. We are certain that with presidential elections nearing in Russia, Moscow will step up its effort against dissidents, oppositionists and opponents of the Putin regime.

Kuzminov’s murder is not the first case when Moscow eliminated dissidents in Western Europe.

The most famous case is Alexander Litvinenko’s fatal poisoning with polonium in the UK in 2006. As for Kuzminov’s case, the Kremlin made an attempt to mislead Spanish investigators with disinformation. Some Russian media, affiliated with military intelligence, linked Kuzminov’s death to ‘alcohol and drugs.’ But Sergei Naryshkin, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Director, was personally involved in information campaign, saying that the victim was a ‘criminal traitor’ and a ‘moral corpse’, as he had left his country. That way, Naryshkin highlighted the Kremlin was behind the killing in Spain. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence is unlikely to be involved. Kuzminov’s defection was a blow to the Defense Ministry, and his killing was an attempt by the military to return the reputation in the eyes of Russia’s policymakers. Russian foreign intelligence most likely shows ongoing confrontation with the military department, as part of a long-term competition for resources and influence in Russia. Naryshkin, while discrediting the GRU, sent a signal to Russian policymakers that he was ready to support eliminating the traitors.

Naryshkin, obviously, is not part of the same team as the Defense Ministry; with the presidential elections nearing, he has embarked on a political battle in Russia after the elections.

The murder is symbolic, as the Kremlin is terribly afraid of insufficient loyalty and seeks to infiltrate people with the fear of state’s betrayal. This ideology is typical for totalitarian regimes. An attempt to return to the name ‘SMERSH’ (an abbreviation for ‘death to spies’, the name of Russian counterespionage unit during WWII) speaks for that.

Some sources in Spanish intelligence admit that it is very difficult to find evidence implicating any of them is involved. The militants, who committed the crime, arrived from abroad and are not in Spain now.The fact that Russians succeeded in killing Kuzminov reveals a major security problem in Europe, as this operation required significant support: intelligence, logistics, providing cover and withdrawal for the groups. We cannot exclude that reconnaissance on the area was done by some local agents, many of whom are Russian citizens or Russian criminals. That means, major Russian communities in Western Europe foster sabotage operations by the Kremlin, making European security more vulnerable.