A senior Russian military intelligence officer is recovering in hospital after being shot several times in Moscow, as investigators prepare to interrogate two suspects in what appears to be the latest assassination attempt targeting Russia’s top military ranks since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, the deputy head of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, was wounded on Friday (6 February), investigators said. Russian media reported on Saturday that two suspects linked to the shooting would soon be questioned, though authorities have not confirmed whether they have been detained.
Alexeyev underwent surgery and later regained consciousness, but remains under medical supervision, according to the newspaper Kommersant.
Alexeyev’s boss, Igor Kostyukov, has been leading Russia’s delegation in negotiations with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on security-related aspects of a potential peace deal.
The Moscow prosecutor’s office said Alexeyev, who was born in Soviet Ukraine, was shot several times at a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway, in northwest Moscow by an unknown assailant who fled the scene.
Kommersant reported that the attacker had been waiting for him as he left for work and that he sustained gunshot wounds to an arm, a leg and his chest during a struggle. The Kremlin said he was in serious condition.
A neighbour who gave her name as Alessandra said CCTV cameras in the building had been functioning, following unconfirmed reports that the gunman may have gained access by posing as a food delivery courier.
Peskov said Putin had been briefed and that Russia’s intelligence services were investigating. “It is clear that military commanders and high-level specialists are at risk during wartime,” he said.
Since December 2024, three other officials of the same rank as Alexeyev, lieutenant general, have been killed in or near Moscow.
The attacks have angered Russia’s influential war bloggers, prompting questions about why such senior figures have lacked adequate protection. In at least two cases, the targets were killed right outside their homes.
The head of the General Staff's army training directorate, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, was killed by a bomb placed under his car on 22 December. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of being behind the attack, saying it was intended to undermine peace efforts, though he provided no evidence. Kyiv denied any involvement.
Alexeyev was responsible for relations between the Defence Ministry and the Wagner mercenary group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, which fought in some of the fiercest battles in the early stages of the war in Ukraine.
Prigozhin was fiercely critical of the defence establishment and staged a mutiny in June 2023, when Alexeyev was one of the top officials sent to negotiate with him. The mutiny fizzled out and Prigozhin died in a plane crash two months later.
Argentina and Uruguay on Thursday became the first founding members of the Mercosur bloc to ratify a long-awaited free trade agreement with the Europe...
Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva have been described as “positive”, according to a report by Axios citing a U.S. ...
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar received a phone call from Qatar’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi on Thursday, a...
The United States is expected to deploy six additional aerial refuelling aircraft to Israel as Washington continues to strengthen its military presenc...
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday (26 February) that she had no information about the criminal activities of Jeffrey Eps...
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, arrived in Geneva and may hold talks with U.S. officials, according to the RIA news agency.
The situation in Cuba was heating up and called for restraint following a deadly incident involving a Florida-registered speedboat off the coast of the Caribbean island, the Kremlin said on Thursday (26 February).
Switzerland will ban the import and purchase of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from 25 April 2026 as part of its implementation of the European Union’s 19th sanctions package targeting Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Georgia faces rising diplomatic pressure as Western partners urge alignment against Russia. Tensions grew after the UK sanctioned TV channels Imedi and POSTV, prompting Georgia to summon the British Ambassador for clarification.
A F-16 fighter jet of the Turkish Air Force crashed near a highway in western Türkiye early on Wednesday (25 February), killing its pilot, officials and media reports confirmed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed on Wednesday in Beijing to strengthen economic cooperation while addressing trade imbalances, market access concerns, and the war in Ukraine, during Merz’s first official visit to China since taking office.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared a “golden age” for America in his first second-term State of the Union on Tuesday evening, delivering the longest-ever address at more than 90 minutes. Here are the main takeaways.
President Donald Trump delivered the first State of the Union address of his second term to Congress on Wednesday (25 February), declaring that America’s “golden age” had begun and that the country was experiencing a “turnaround for the ages.”
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 25th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday thanked FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, for reaffirming that the country’s 2026 World Cup host venues will remain unchanged, following violence that erupted after the killing of a major cartel leader.
A student from Azerbaijan was detained by U.S. immigration agents inside a Columbia University residential building on Thursday morning, was released later the same day after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised her case directly with President Donald Trump.
Argentina and Uruguay on Thursday became the first founding members of the Mercosur bloc to ratify a long-awaited free trade agreement with the European Union, paving the way for one of the world’s largest free trade zones.
Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva have been described as “positive”, according to a report by Axios citing a U.S. official.
The United States is expected to deploy six additional aerial refuelling aircraft to Israel as Washington continues to strengthen its military presence in the Middle East while nuclear negotiations with Iran remain under way.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment