A Russian General Shot and Seriously Wounded in Moscow
Officials reported that a Russian general, serving as deputy head of Russian military intelligence, was shot and seriously injured in Moscow on Friday. This incident marks the latest in a series of attacks targeting high-ranking military figures.
“An unknown attacker fired several shots at Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev in a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway in Moscow and fled the scene,” said a Russian Investigative Committee spokesperson in a statement.
The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed that its officers are at the scene and investigators are searching for the shooter. The committee has opened a criminal case, labeling the attack an attempted murder of a high-ranking defense ministry official.
Lavrov Accuses Ukraine of the Attack
“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the Ukrainian government of being behind the attempted murder of Alekseyev, without citing evidence,” the statement added.
Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the shooting. Alekseyev, 64, has been transferred to a city hospital and is in intensive care, according to Russian state media, with his condition described as serious.
Alekseyev’s Role and Sanctions
“Alekseyev has been responsible for the possession, transport, and use in Salisbury… of the toxic nerve agent ‘Novichok’ by officers from the GRU,” stated the EU sanctions, which also named sanctioned Russian military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.
Alekseyev, a key figure in the GRU, was among several officials sanctioned by the United States in 2016 for malicious cyber activity aimed at undermining US democratic processes. He was also sanctioned by the European Union in January 2019 following the nerve agent attack in Salisbury, England.
Alekseyev has had significant involvement in the war in Ukraine, including serving as one of Russia’s negotiators in secret talks with a Ukrainian parliament member to end the 2022 siege of Mariupol. A Ukrainian intelligence report claims he orchestrated the preparation of initial data for missile and air strikes on Ukrainian territory, targeting civilians, and was responsible for illegal referenda in occupied areas. Ukraine has also accused him of war crimes in Syria.
In 2023, Alekseyev was sent by the Russian military to negotiate with Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private mercenary group, during the Wagner group’s mutiny. At the time, he labeled Prigozhin’s actions as “a coup” and “a stab in the back of the country and the president.”
Kremlin Response
“The intelligence services are investigating the attack and will report any findings to Russian President Vladimir Putin,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in a Friday press briefing. “We wish the general survival and recovery.”
It is clear that such military leaders and high.
