The father of the deceased pilot Kiryanov does not believe in media reports about Kuzminov's death. Spanish media circulated reports that a body was found in Alicante, presumably that of Maxim KuzMinov, who hijacked a Russian Mi-8 helicopter to Ukraine in 2023.
The dead Russian soldiers who were in the helicopter were 28-year-old flight mechanic Nikita Kirianov and pilot-navigator Khushbakht Tursunov. Kuz Minov himself gave a press conference in Ukraine, at which he said there were two other crew members with him who did not know about the escape plan.