A senior deputy chief of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, sustained multiple gunshot wounds in an ambush in Moscow on Friday. The incident escalates tensions amid a string of targeted killings of high-ranking Russian officers, which authorities attribute to Ukraine.
Details of the Shooting
Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, aged 64 and serving as first deputy head of the GRU since 2011, was rushed to a hospital after an unidentified gunman opened fire on him at an apartment building in northwestern Moscow. Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko confirmed the attack in a statement, noting multiple shots struck the general. Petrenko provided no details on suspects.
Reports indicate the assailant posed as a delivery person, shooting Alekseyev twice in the stairway—once in the foot and once in the arm. The general attempted to grab the weapon but suffered a chest wound before the attacker escaped.
Alekseyev’s Background and Achievements
Born in Ukraine during the Soviet era, Alekseyev advanced through the ranks to oversee GRU operations in Syria, Ukraine, and other regions. He earned the Hero of Russia medal for his contributions to Russia’s military efforts in Syria. In June 2023, state television captured him speaking with Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin during the brief mutiny when mercenaries seized the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don.
Alekseyev faces international sanctions from the U.S. for alleged 2016 election interference, as well as from the U.K. and EU over the 2018 Novichok poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.
Timing and Official Reactions
The attack occurred one day after Russian, Ukrainian, and U.S. negotiators concluded two days of discussions in Abu Dhabi aimed at resolving the nearly four-year Ukraine conflict. Adm. Igor Kostyukov, Alekseyev’s superior and GRU head, led the Russian delegation.
President Vladimir Putin received a briefing on the incident, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Peskov urged law enforcement to enhance security for top military officials amid the ongoing war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov labeled it a “terrorist act” by Ukraine designed to sabotage peace efforts, leaving the probe to investigators.
Ukrainian officials have not responded to the shooting.
Pattern of Recent Assassinations
Russian authorities link Kyiv to several killings of military figures and officials since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine has acknowledged some attacks.
- In December 2024, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces, died from a bomb on an electric scooter outside his Moscow apartment. His assistant also perished. Ukraine’s security service took responsibility.
- In December, a car bomb claimed Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate in the Russian General Staff.
- In April, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the General Staff’s main operational department, was killed by a car bomb near his home outside Moscow. A Russian man with prior Ukraine ties confessed, stating he was paid by Ukrainian services.
Following Moskalik’s death, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referenced reports of eliminating top Russian officers, declaring “justice inevitably comes,” without naming the general.
