Top Ukrainian ex-official found dead in pool at same complex in Spain as assassinated Putin defector pilot who fled Russia

A former Ukrainian official has been found dead at the same Spanish residential complex where a defected Russian military pilot was assassinated in what authorities previously suspected to be a Kremlin-ordered killing.

Igor Hrushevsky, a former employee of Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, was discovered face down and unresponsive in a swimming pool at the Cala Alta complex in Villajoyosa, near Valencia. Local reports state he was bleeding from one ear. Despite the efforts of residents who performed CPR, Hrushevsky could not be revived. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

The incident occurred at the same location where Russian defector Maksim Kuzminov was shot dead just 18 months earlier. Kuzminov, a helicopter pilot, defected from Russia to Ukraine in 2023 in a dramatic move that reportedly involved the killing of his two co-pilots. He landed in Ukraine in an Mi-8 helicopter and was later granted a new identity and compensation. Despite efforts to protect him, he was gunned down near a parking garage in the same residential complex in 2024.

At the time, the assassination was widely believed to have been carried out by Russian GRU operatives, the same military intelligence agency accused of previous assassination attempts, including the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England.

Spanish authorities have not confirmed a connection between Hrushevsky’s death and the previous assassination, but the location and timing have sparked speculation. Local media outlet El Español reported that Hrushevsky, 28, had been swimming when he was found.

The area is home to a mix of Russian, Ukrainian, and British residents, and has been seen as a potential hotspot for intelligence activity amid ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Kuzminov had appealed to other Russian military personnel to defect, claiming in a government-released interview that Ukraine had promised him safety, a new identity, and monetary reward. His defection had been viewed as a significant propaganda victory for Kyiv.

The repeated deaths at the same location have raised renewed concerns about the safety of defectors and ex-officials abroad, particularly those with ties to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Spanish authorities have not commented on whether an investigation into possible foul play in Hrushevsky’s case is underway.

Source: LIB