Vladimir Alekseyev, deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, was wounded in a shooting in Moscow on Friday, Russian authorities said. The Kremlin considers the incident an assassination attempt, which it believes was orchestrated by Ukraine.
According to Russian investigators, the general was shot several times inside a Moscow apartment building, and the perpetrator fled the scene. No details were given about Alekseyev’s condition beyond confirmation that he was taken to hospital. The area was cordoned off, and forensic experts worked at the scene.
In a televised statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of organising the attack, which he described as an “act of terrorism.” According to Lavrov, the aim of the assassination attempt may have been to disrupt negotiations aimed at ending the war. The Kremlin said Russian security services are investigating the incident and that President Vladimir Putin is being kept informed of developments.
Vladimir Alekseyev has served as first deputy head of the GRU since 2011. He has been sanctioned by Western countries over allegations related to cyberattacks and for his alleged role in organising the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the UK in 2018. Alekseyev previously played a key role in overseeing intelligence operations during Russia’s military intervention in Syria.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, several high-ranking Russian military officials have been targeted and killed on Russian territory. Last year, an electric scooter packed with explosives killed General Igor Kirillov in Moscow — an attack Kyiv openly claimed responsibility for. According to Russian authorities, the latest incident is further evidence that the conflict is increasingly spilling over into Russia’s interior.
