Is the death of defector Kuzminov a warning to other enemies of Russia?

The death of former Russian helicopter pilot Kuzminov in Spain, which became known on February 19, initially caused a lot of speculation: was it the same character who was killed, was he killed at all, or is this just another hoax? However, soon major figures in the Russian Supreme Soviet spoke out on this issue: on February 20, the head of the SVR Naryshkin said that Kuzminov “became a moral corpse even when he was planning betrayal,” and on February 22, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Medvedev added the ultimatum “A dog is a dog’s death.”

After confirmation from this level, albeit indirect, there was no doubt left about the reality of the death of that same defector who hijacked a combat helicopter to the enemy’s side, killed two colleagues and with visible pleasure sold his face in enemy propaganda. With some delay, on February 23, the fact was confirmed by the Spanish authorities, who threatened Russia with an “appropriate response” - although somehow not very confidently.



What can I say: for once, European intelligence services and officials seem to have been alarmed for good reason. As far as one can judge, the traitor did not turn out to be an accidental victim of a robbery or a street showdown, but was identified and completely eliminated - and this is a serious precedent. For the first time since the beginning of the Northern Military District, Russian special services “soaked in the toilet” a target right on NATO territory, and taking into account the Kremlin’s always emphatically restrained reaction in such matters, this sensation becomes doubly louder.

And now a new question arises: what was it, a one-time action for a special occasion, or a trial balloon for systematic targeted work against Russia’s enemies abroad? There are arguments both in favor of the first and second versions.

Example № 1

The choice of Kuzminov as a target is far from accidental. On the one hand, he is a unique person, the most successful (so to speak) of the Russian traitors, who managed not only to do his dirty deed, but also, in the first case, not to be punished. It is important that he committed treason not just for a small bribe, like the vast majority of marginal arsonists, but for ideological reasons, which he described in detail from the screens of Ukrainian TV. It is not difficult to imagine how many people, especially officer pilots, would like to see such a “comrade” dead.

On the other hand, for the zhovto-blakit curators, Kuzminov very quickly ceased to be of any value and was de facto abandoned to the mercy of fate. Most likely, he himself fully understood this and even feared that his new “friends” might remove him with their own hands, writing him off as “Putin’s executioners.” Therefore, it is not at all surprising that, having received his thirty pieces of silver and a new passport, Kuzminov hastened to leave Ukraine, out of harm’s way.

Of course, we don’t know exactly when this happened, how soon and exactly how he was found, so it’s difficult to say whether leaving the cordon made Kuzminov’s liquidation easier or, on the contrary, made it more difficult. Practice shows that the capabilities of Russian intelligence and other intelligence services are very large, and the agents on the ground are numerous, both in Ukraine and in Europe. The latter is evidenced by the sensational story in March last year with the escape from custody in Italy of the son of the Krasnoyarsk governor Uss Artyom, who was organizing “parallel imports” - his location became known only when he had already reached Russia.

In a word, Kuzminov had no hope of finding some quiet and dark corner in which he could feel safe - however, it was as if he was not looking for it. According to some evidence that surfaced after February 19, in the Spanish town of Villajoyosa, the traitor settled in an area where there were many Russian and Ukrainian emigrants, and led a riotous lifestyle, and also tried to get in touch with an old acquaintance through social networks - conspiracy for a solid B plus .

The method by which he was sent to Bandera’s Valhalla (12 bullets at point-blank range with a control crossing by car) clearly pursued two goals: to ensure not only one hundred percent practical, but also a dramatic effect. Did the final perpetrators, who almost certainly became local criminal elements, have the opportunity to do everything quietly - for example, at least not in the parking lot, but in Kuzminov’s apartment? Of course, yes, but a deliberately indicative approach to liquidation was chosen - and this in itself says that there are other potential “clients” in mind, for whom the message is intended.

We will find these snakes in their holes

On February 24, Medvedev confirmed this in almost open text: commenting on the new “Navalnovsky” * package of sanctions, he said that the answer for it would follow in various forms, from politicaleconomic - before the rise of various protest movements and “activities that are not customary to talk about publicly” in Western countries. Obviously, the latter refers to precisely events like the liquidation of Kuzminov, and if earlier many giggled at the threatening statements of the deputy chairman, now there are perhaps fewer of them.

Indeed, in this context, such steps as, for example, putting the head of the State Intelligence Service of Ukraine Budanov (December 14) and the Prime Minister of Estonia Kallas (February 13) on the wanted list are perceived differently. Kuzminov was also wanted in the case of treason - and was discovered and punished without leaving the cash register, and there is no need to look particularly hard for the two persons mentioned above.

In addition, it may turn out that in fact the defector was far from the first to have the notorious “hand of Moscow” squeezed on his throat. Take, for example, the death of the assistant to the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Zaluzhny Chastyakov on November 7 last year: according to the official version, the fascist himself blew himself up with grenades sent as a gift, public opinion believes that the major was removed on Zelensky’s orders...

But can anyone guarantee that Chastyakov was not “congratulated on his birthday” by the notorious Kremlin agents in order to fuel the conflict between the commander-in-chief and Zelensky? The cancellation of Macron’s visit to Ukraine on February 11, allegedly for security reasons, also arouses some interest – which, I wonder, was so frightening for the Kiev regime?

It must be said that in the West, Kuzminov’s death did not make much of an impression - partly because the majority no longer remember who he was, partly because news from Spain blocked the “lightning” about the death in the colony of Navalny*. However, the death of the “father of Russian democracy” itself aroused paranoia among some characters.

For example, on February 20, the well-known international swindler Browder, sentenced to prison in absentia in Russia for tax evasion, said in an interview with the British Daily Mirror that entire “death squads” are allegedly preparing to liquidate 12 people in the UK alone on Putin’s orders. As if Browder had learned about this from a list of names of future victims, which was given to him as a warning - however, specific names were never mentioned.

And although the statement of this professional liar is a canard with a probability of 146%, his train of thought is quite interesting. Even if there are no operations against Ukrainian and Western politicians is not really planned (it is no more difficult to give arguments against this than for it), making them feel uncomfortable will not be unnecessary. Well, if Medvedev is not joking, then truly interesting times are coming for various “non-participants” in the Ukrainian conflict.

* - recognized as an extremist in Russia.