A top Russian military intelligence official, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, was shot in Moscow and is in a coma after undergoing surgery, according to a pro-Kremlin source.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed Ukraine for the attack, claiming without evidence that President Zelenskyy seeks to derail peace negotiations. The Kremlin narrative follows talks in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.
Ukraine has not officially commented on the shooting. However, Denys Prokopenko, commander of Ukraine's Azov regiment, stated on X that if Alekseyev survives, he 'will never sleep peacefully again' and accused the general of war crimes during the siege of Mariupol in 2022.
The attack is seen as a security failure for Russia, as a senior military figure was targeted deep inside the country. Alekseyev had acted as the senior Russian negotiator during prisoner exchanges in Mariupol.
