A senior Russian military officer, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, has been shot several times and wounded in Moscow, marking another serious security incident involving top figures in Russia’s armed forces since the war in Ukraine began. The attack occurred on Friday morning inside a residential building along Volokolamsk Highway in the north-western outskirts of the capital. Alexeyev was rushed to hospital immediately, but Russian authorities have not disclosed his current medical condition.
Alexeyev is a high-ranking official within Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, and is considered a key figure in Moscow’s military and intelligence establishment. He has played prominent roles during the Ukraine war, including participating in negotiations with Ukrainian officials during the siege of Mariupol in 2022 and later holding talks with Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin during the brief mutiny in June 2023. He was also placed under European Union sanctions over allegations linking the GRU to the 2018 nerve agent attack in Salisbury, United Kingdom.
Russia’s Investigations Committee confirmed that a criminal case has been opened for attempted murder, but has not named any suspects or identified those behind the shooting. According to the authorities, the general was attacked within a residential block, raising further concerns about the vulnerability of senior military officials even in heavily secured parts of Moscow. No group has officially claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Okay News notes that the shooting adds to a growing list of targeted attacks against Russian military leaders since the invasion of Ukraine. In recent years, several senior officers have been killed or wounded in bombings and assassinations in Moscow and other cities. Ukraine has previously acknowledged involvement in some operations against Russian military figures, while Russian officials say they have foiled other attempted attacks.
The latest incident underscores rising internal security tensions in Russia as the war enters its fourth year. Analysts say the repeated targeting of senior officers highlights both the intensity of the conflict and the increasing reach of covert operations, even deep within Russia’s capital.
