Russian defector Maxim Kuzminov was murdered in Spain earlier this year. Now it is known: the Kremlin apparently coordinated the contract killing from Vienna, as the American newspaper “Wall Street Journal” learned from various secret services.
The helicopter pilot Kuzminov flew from Russia to Ukraine in August last year with a fully equipped Mi-8 army helicopter. The Russian is said to have received the equivalent of 460,000 euros from Kiev for this. The defector then went into hiding in Spain, but was quickly tracked down.
The body of the man with multiple gunshot wounds was found in February in an underground parking garage of an apartment complex in Villajoyosa near Alicante on the Mediterranean Sea. The burnt-out getaway car of the perpetrator(s) was found nearby shortly afterwards.
What role does Austria play?
The contract killing was coordinated by the Kremlin in Vienna, the Wall Street Journal reports. For its research, the American newspaper spoke to ten people from secret services in Austria, the US and other European countries.
The number of Russian officials in this country has increased from about 400 to more than 500 in the past two years. Nearly half of them are active as spies.
Spy equipment on roofs
The Russian missions in Vienna are housed in about forty buildings, many of which are equipped with surveillance equipment on their roofs. State television in Moscow reported in the fall that the Russian secret service had been ordered to kill the “traitor” Kuzminov.
Information from the secret service would show that large sums of cash were being transferred overland to Austria. The American newspaper reports that this money was used in Vienna, among other things, to pay the assassins.
Vienna as a central hub
These funds are distributed in Europe by Russian ‘diplomats’ in personal belongings that the police are not allowed to inspect due to diplomatic immunity.
According to the report, Austria has become a hub for Russian covert operations, including coordinating financial and logistical support for assassinations, sabotage and recruitment across Europe.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
