Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, a senior Russian military intelligence official, was shot in his apartment building in Moscow on Friday, February 6. The man, who remains in a hospital, is one of the officials under Western sanctions. Local authorities emphasize that this is the latest in a series of assassination attempts that Russia attributes to Ukraine.
First modification: 02/06/2026 - 14:17 Last modification: 02/06/2026 - 20:24
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Russian authorities are investigating who or what could be behind what they describe as an assassination attempt against Vladimir Alekseyev, a senior official in the country's military intelligence services. However, Moscow is already targeting Ukraine, a country against which President Vladimir Putin ordered the ongoing invasion almost four years ago.
The 64-year-old man remains hospitalized in serious condition. Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement that Alekseyev was shot several times by an unidentified assailant in an apartment building in the northwest of the capital.
Petrenko did not specify who could be behind the attack on the lieutenant general, who has served as first deputy director of the Russian military intelligence agency, known as GRU, since 2011.
The soldier's work has been recognized by President Putin with the award of Hero of Russia for his role in Moscow's military campaign in Syria.
Additionally, in June 2023, he appeared on state television speaking to mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin when his Wagner Group seized military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don during their brief mutiny.
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Alexeyev's position implied that he would have been closely involved in Russia's war pursuit in Ukraine. In addition, he is one of the Russian commanders who are under Western sanctions.
Born in Ukraine when it was still part of the Soviet Union, Alexeyev was sanctioned by the United States for Russian cyber interference in the 2016 US presidential election. The European Union also imposed sanctions on him for the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in 2018.
Read alsoThe chief of operations of the Russian General Staff dies after a car bomb attack
Who is behind the attack?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of being behind the assassination attempt, which he claimed, without providing evidence, was aimed at sabotaging "peace talks."
kyiv has not commented on this fact.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, on February 24, 2022, the authorities of the country led by Vladimir Putin have blamed kyiv for several murders of military officers and public figures in Russia. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of them, some of whom are on a public list of Ukraine's enemies.
The Kommersant newspaper, which cited police sources, reported that Alexeyev's attacker had been waiting for him when he left his apartment to go to work and that the soldier had suffered gunshot wounds to his arm, leg and chest during a struggle.
The Kremlin expressed hope that its official would survive and recover. Putin has been informed about the shooting and Russian intelligence services are investigating, the newspaper added.
"It is clear that military commanders and high-level specialists are in danger in times of war," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
"But it is not the Kremlin that should decide how to ensure their security. This is a matter for the special services," he added.
The attack took place a day after Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators concluded two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in a bid to end the invasion of Ukraine.
Read alsoNext meeting on Ukraine could be in the US: Zelensky; Moscow and Washington agree to high-level military dialogue
With Reuters and AP
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