Senior Russian Intelligence General Shot in Moscow, Authorities Blame Ukraine
Russian investigators said Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, was shot by an “unidentified individual” who fled the scene.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A senior Russian military intelligence official was shot and wounded inside an apartment building in Moscow on Friday, authorities said, describing the incident as an assassination attempt allegedly orchestrated by Ukraine.
Russian investigators said Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, was shot by an “unidentified individual” who fled the scene. Alekseyev was hospitalized, and his condition was not immediately disclosed.
There was no immediate comment from Kyiv. Ukraine has previously claimed responsibility for some attacks targeting senior Russian military officials since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Alekseyev has been sanctioned by Western countries over allegations of involvement in cyberattacks and accusations that he helped organize a nerve agent attack on a Russian defector in the United Kingdom.
In televised remarks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of carrying out what he described as a “terrorist act,” claiming Kyiv was attempting to “disrupt the negotiation process” aimed at ending the nearly four-year war.
The Kremlin said Russia’s security services had launched an investigation and were keeping President Vladimir Putin informed of developments.
“The special services are doing their job,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that authorities wished Alekseyev “a speedy recovery.”
AFP reporters at the scene said a forensic vehicle was stationed outside an apartment block in a northwestern Moscow suburb, where investigators had cordoned off the area.