Deputy Chief of Russia’s Military Intelligence Shot, Seriously Wounded in Moscow
In what comes against the backdrop of several assassination attempts on senior figures since the start of the Ukraine war, a senior Russian military intelligence officer was shot and seriously wounded in a brazen attack in Moscow on February 6, triggering an attempted murder investigation and heightening political tensions, officials said.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, 64, who serves as the first deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, was hit multiple times by an unidentified assailant at an apartment building in northwest Moscow, spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko of the Russian Investigative Committee said. Alekseyev was hospitalised with serious injuries after the shooting.
Russian authorities opened a criminal case on charges including attempted murder and illegal possession of weapons and investigators began reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses at the scene, according to several media reports.
The attack on a senior GRU officer, one of the most powerful positions within Russia’s defence establishment, comes amid a series of targeted strikes on top military figures since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As per media reports, Alekseyev’s role has included oversight of intelligence operations in Ukraine and Syria, and he has been sanctioned by Western countries for alleged involvement in election interference and the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom in 2018.
Alekseyev was born in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union, a report by the Associated Press notes.
Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, immediately blamed Ukraine for the shooting, calling it a “terrorist act” aimed at undermining recent diplomatic efforts. However, no independent evidence has been provided to substantiate those claims, and Ukrainian authorities declined to take responsibility or comment publicly.
The incident occurred just one day after talks involving Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators in Abu Dhabi on a potential ceasefire in the nearly four-year conflict. The Kremlin’s security agencies suggested the timing was no coincidence, although some international analysts and Ukrainian commentators questioned whether internal Russian political dynamics might also have played a role.
Alekseyev, awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation, has been a fixture of Russia’s military intelligence leadership since 2011. He played a visible role during the 2023 Wagner Group rebellion, urging mutinous fighters to stand down and engaging in negotiations with Wagner’s leaders.
