Moscow, Russia. A senior Russian military intelligence official was shot in his Moscow apartment building and taken to hospital on Friday, investigators said. The shooting is the latest in a series of assassination attempts Russia has blamed on Ukraine.
Shooting and investigation
Investigators said an unidentified gunman fired several shots at Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence arm, before fleeing the scene. Alexeyev, 64, was reported to be in a serious condition in hospital.
The Kommersant daily, citing law enforcement sources, reported that the attacker had been waiting when Alexeyev left his apartment to go to work and that Alexeyev sustained gunshot wounds to an arm, a leg and his chest during a struggle.
Background and sanctions
Alexeyev’s position meant he would have been closely involved in prosecuting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His work has been recognised by President Vladimir Putin with a Hero of Russia award.
Born in Ukraine when it was still part of the Soviet Union, Alexeyev was placed under U.S. sanctions over Russian cyber interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The European Union imposed sanctions on him over the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in 2018.
Accusations and denials
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of being behind the assassination attempt and said, without citing evidence, it was designed to sabotage peace talks.
Since the start of the war in 2022, Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed responsibility for assassinating several senior Russian officers, some of whom have appeared on a public list of Ukraine’s enemies.
Speaking to Reuters, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine had nothing to do with the shooting. “We don’t know what happened with that particular general – maybe it was their own internal Russian in-fighting,” Sybiha said.
Kremlin response
The Kremlin said it hoped Alexeyev would survive and recover, adding that Putin had been briefed on the shooting and Russia’s intelligence services are investigating.
“It is clear that military commanders and high-level specialists are at risk during wartime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
What do you think the shooting could mean for security around senior Russian officials during wartime?
