"Russian Defector Found Dead in Spain After Fleeing with Army Helicopter"

Russia's spy chief condemned Maxim Kuzminov, a military pilot who defected to Ukraine, as a "moral corpse" after reports of his murder in Spain. Kuzminov had flown his Mi-8 helicopter into Ukraine in August, opposing Russia's military offensive, and was later found shot dead in Villajoyosa after receiving Ukrainian citizenship. The head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service did not confirm or deny Russian involvement in Kuzminov's death, while Russian state TV had previously reported that Russia's GRU intelligence agency had been ordered to eliminate him. The U.S. and other nations are considering their response to the suspicious demise of leading Russian political opposition figure Alexey Navalny, with President Biden blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny's death and considering additional sanctions against Russia.