In Moscow, attackers targeted Lieutenant General of the Russian Ministry of Defense Vladimir Alekseyev. An unknown assailant fired several shots into his back and then fled the scene.
The Telegram channel Astra reported this.
What happened
According to sources, the incident occurred near a residential building on Volokolamske Shose, where Russian Army General Vladimir Alekseyev lives. The unknown assailant waited near the entrance and opened fire as soon as the general appeared.
The wounded lieutenant general was hospitalized in one of Moscow’s hospitals. Authorities have not yet released information about his condition.
Law enforcement opened a criminal case under the charges of “attempted murder” and “illegal circulation of firearms.” The attacker is currently being sought.
Context
General Alekseyev serves as First Deputy Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU). He plays a key role in the war against Ukraine, overseeing operation planning, coordination of GRU special units, and sabotage groups in Ukrainian territory.
He also controlled private military formations, including Redut, which the Kremlin used as an “expendable resource.” Alekseyev’s name appears in the so-called “security guarantees” for the defenders of Mariupol–part of the Kremlin’s political-military operations.
Earlier, Alekseyev oversaw PMC Vagner and participated in negotiations with its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, during the 2023 mutiny. His direct superior, Ihor Kostyukov, now heads the Russian delegation in talks with the USA and Ukraine.
Additionally, the United Kingdom and the EU have already imposed sanctions on GRU leadership, including Alekseyev, citing involvement in chemical attacks and crimes against civilians in Ukraine.
Previously, The Ukrainian Review reported that Russian troops in Ukraine regularly commit war crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war – from executing unarmed soldiers to systematic torture in prisons and pretrial detention centers. This constitutes a direct and repeated violation of the Third Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
