A high-ranking official from the Russian military intelligence was injured in a shooting incident in Moscow. Lt.-Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev was attacked by an unidentified assailant at an apartment building in the northwest area of Moscow. He was shot multiple times and subsequently hospitalized, as confirmed by Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko.
The 64-year-old Alekseyev, who has been serving as the first deputy head of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, since 2011, was not explicitly linked to the attack by Petrenko. Alekseyev had received the Hero of Russia medal for his involvement in the military operations in Syria. He was seen on state television in June 2023 during a mutiny led by the Wagner Group at a military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don.
The shooting occurred shortly after negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. concluded talks in Abu Dhabi to address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The Russian delegation, led by Adm. Igor Kostyukov, the military intelligence chief, participated in the discussions. Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the incident, emphasizing the need for enhanced protection for senior military officials in light of the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov characterized the attack as a potential “terrorist act” orchestrated by Ukraine to disrupt peace talks. Ukrainian authorities have not issued any statements regarding the incident.
Alekseyev, who hails from Ukraine’s Soviet era, advanced through the ranks to oversee Russian military intelligence operations in various regions, including Syria and Ukraine. He faced sanctions from Western governments for his alleged involvement in the 2016 U.S. election interference and the 2018 poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.
Since Russia’s intervention in Ukraine nearly four years ago, multiple military officers and public figures in Russia have been targeted for assassination, with blame often directed at Ukraine. In December, Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, was killed in a car bomb attack. Another senior officer, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, was assassinated in April via an explosive device placed in his car near his residence outside Moscow, leading to a swift arrest of a suspected perpetrator linked to Ukraine’s security services.
Following Moskalik’s death, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged receiving reports on the elimination of high-ranking Russian military figures, underscoring the pursuit of justice. Moreover, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of the military’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces, was killed in a bomb attack in December 2024, attributed to Ukraine’s security service.