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On the run from Russia: the defector to Ukraine shot dead on the Costa Blanca

Maksim Kuzminov flew a Russian miltary helicopter to Ukraine. Armed with a new identity, he moved to a Spanish resort. Then he was killed in an underground car park

In some ways it is easy to see why Maksim Kuzminov chose to start a new life in Villajoyosa on the Costa Blanca. It overlooks the Mediterranean, with spectacular sunrises. Lemons and oranges droop from trees, brightly coloured homes dot the shore and Villajoyosa is famous for its chocolate. The name means Joyful Town.

More importantly, Kuzminov must have calculated he could blend into the Russian and Ukrainian communities that fill this corner of Spain with Slavic languages, food and faces. With a new identity – a passport claimed he was Igor Shevchenko – here was a place to hide in plain sight, safe from the vengeance of Vladimir Putin.

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