Top Russian general shot multiple times in Moscow in alleged assassination attempt
A senior Russian military intelligence official, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, was shot multiple times in Moscow in an alleged assassination attempt.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, a senior official in Russia’s military intelligence (GRU), was shot multiple times in Moscow on Friday in what Russian authorities are calling an alleged assassination attempt. Alekseev was rushed to hospital, while the gunman reportedly fled the scene, according to Russian media reports.
SHOOTING NEAR VOLOKOLAMSKOYE HIGHWAY
The incident occurred near a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway. SHOT, a Russian media outlet, reported that an “unknown assailant shot him in the back several times” before escaping. Police in Moscow are currently hunting for the suspect, who is believed to have been waiting for Alekseev to appear.
“The killer was waiting for the Lieutenant General of the Russian Defense Ministry today near a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway,” SHOT reported. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened an official probe into the attack.
ALEKSEEV’S ROLE AND PAST SANCTIONS
Alekseev has been the first deputy head of Russian military intelligence since 2011 and has played a key role in the operations of the GRU. He has previously been sanctioned internationally:
In 2016 by the US for organising “malicious cyber activities” during the US presidential election.
By the United Kingdom and the European Union for his alleged involvement in the 2018 Salisbury chemical attack on former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. A British civilian later died after coming into contact with the poison.
By Canada in August 2022 for his complicity in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin awarded Alekseev the title of Hero of the Russian Federation in 2017. He was also instrumental in quelling the Wagner rebellion in 2023, being one of the senior officials sent to negotiate with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
CONTEXT OF TARGETED ATTACKS
While Ukraine has not been linked to the shooting and has not commented, it has previously targeted Russian officials involved in Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Alekseev’s shooting comes just weeks after another senior Russian military official, Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Armed Forces General Staff’s operational training department, was killed in a car bombing in Moscow on December 22. An explosive device detonated under Sarvarov’s vehicle on Yaseneva Street, and he later died in hospital from his injuries.
INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
Russian authorities are treating the attack on Alekseev as a high-profile incident, given his senior position and past involvement in major military and intelligence operations. Police continue to search for the gunman, while the Investigative Committee works to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting. No updates have yet been released on Alekseev’s current condition.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, a senior official in Russia’s military intelligence (GRU), was shot multiple times in Moscow on Friday in what Russian authorities are calling an alleged assassination attempt. Alekseev was rushed to hospital, while the gunman reportedly fled the scene, according to Russian media reports.
SHOOTING NEAR VOLOKOLAMSKOYE HIGHWAY
The incident occurred near a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway. SHOT, a Russian media outlet, reported that an “unknown assailant shot him in the back several times” before escaping. Police in Moscow are currently hunting for the suspect, who is believed to have been waiting for Alekseev to appear.
“The killer was waiting for the Lieutenant General of the Russian Defense Ministry today near a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway,” SHOT reported. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened an official probe into the attack.
ALEKSEEV’S ROLE AND PAST SANCTIONS
Alekseev has been the first deputy head of Russian military intelligence since 2011 and has played a key role in the operations of the GRU. He has previously been sanctioned internationally:
In 2016 by the US for organising “malicious cyber activities” during the US presidential election.
By the United Kingdom and the European Union for his alleged involvement in the 2018 Salisbury chemical attack on former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. A British civilian later died after coming into contact with the poison.
By Canada in August 2022 for his complicity in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin awarded Alekseev the title of Hero of the Russian Federation in 2017. He was also instrumental in quelling the Wagner rebellion in 2023, being one of the senior officials sent to negotiate with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
CONTEXT OF TARGETED ATTACKS
While Ukraine has not been linked to the shooting and has not commented, it has previously targeted Russian officials involved in Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Alekseev’s shooting comes just weeks after another senior Russian military official, Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Armed Forces General Staff’s operational training department, was killed in a car bombing in Moscow on December 22. An explosive device detonated under Sarvarov’s vehicle on Yaseneva Street, and he later died in hospital from his injuries.
INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
Russian authorities are treating the attack on Alekseev as a high-profile incident, given his senior position and past involvement in major military and intelligence operations. Police continue to search for the gunman, while the Investigative Committee works to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting. No updates have yet been released on Alekseev’s current condition.