A deputy director of Russia's military intelligence agency, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, is in critical condition after being shot multiple times in the stairwell of his apartment in north-west Moscow on Friday. The unknown assailant fled the scene, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Alekseyev, a veteran of the GRU, has been a key figure in the Kremlin's war effort, providing intelligence for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He also oversaw private military companies and was involved in negotiations with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin during the group's mutiny in 2023. Despite falling out of favour after the revolt, he retained his post.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the shooting as a 'terrorist attack', baselessly alleging it was aimed at derailing peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha denied involvement, suggesting it could be the result of internal Russian infighting.
The commander of Ukraine's Azov regiment, Denys Prokopenko, warned that no war criminal will feel safe, while Russian military bloggers criticised apparent security lapses that allowed the gunman to enter the building undetected. The attack comes a day after Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Abu Dhabi for talks that both sides described as making progress.
Alekseyev is under sanctions from Washington and London for his alleged roles in interfering in the 2020 US election and the 2018 Novichok attack in Salisbury. Ukrainian intelligence has previously targeted Russian generals in the Moscow region, though such operations typically involve explosives rather than shootings.
