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The deputy director of Russia's military intelligence (GRU) was shot in the lobby of his palace; the perpetrators remain unidentified...
Russian General Vladimir Alekseev, one of the most senior figures in the Russian military, is in critical condition after being shot this morning as he was leaving his apartment north of Moscow, international media reported.
Alekseev, 64, a lieutenant general and deputy director of Russia's military intelligence agency, still widely known by its old acronym GRU, was rushed to hospital after being shot multiple times from behind in the lobby of the palace at around 7am local time. The gunman fled the scene and has not yet been arrested. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, Russia has immediately launched unfounded accusations against Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began four years ago, Kiev's intelligence services have targeted several officials linked to the Russian military apparatus inside Russian territory. According to reported data, this is the eighth attack on a senior Russian Defense Ministry official since the start of the war, including three generals killed in Moscow since 2022. In previous cases, explosive devices were used, while today's attack was carried out with firearms.
Alekseev is considered a high-profile target. After the war in Ukraine began, he oversaw the activities of private military companies on the Russian fronts. In 2023, together with General Sergei Surovikin, he was involved in negotiations with the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Evgeniy Prigozhin, during the latter’s failed rebellion. At the time, Alekseev released a video message calling the march on Moscow “a stab in the back to the country and the president.”
Before the invasion of Ukraine, Alekseev is suspected of being involved in numerous GRU operations abroad. He is under US sanctions for alleged involvement in interference in the 2016 US presidential election and under European Union sanctions since 2019 for organizing the attempted poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal with the nerve agent “Novichok” in Salisbury.
The UK, however, has not specifically sanctioned it.
The attack is expected to heighten concerns among Russia's military elite about the security of senior figures. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "it is not the Kremlin's responsibility to discuss how to ensure the protection of individuals."
The incident comes a day after a new round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, which have reportedly made progress. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Kiev of being behind the attack to sabotage the negotiations, calling it a “terrorist act.” Ukraine has not officially responded and, even if it was involved, is unlikely to publicly admit it.
It remains to be seen how former US President Donald Trump will react to Moscow's accusations, given his previous critical stances towards Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky. /Adapted from The Spectator /
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