Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday that Ukraine’s Security Service had ordered an attempt to assassinate General Vladimir Alexeyev, according to Interfax.
The FSB also alleged that Polish intelligence played a role in recruiting the suspect, but offered no evidence to support the claims.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha rejected any link to the shooting, telling Reuters, "We don't know what happened with that particular general - maybe it was their own internal Russian in-fighting."
Russian authorities say Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), was shot three times with a Makarov pistol fitted with a silencer.
The attack took place on Friday in an apartment block on the Volokolamsk highway in northern Moscow.
Alexeyev, 64, underwent surgery and has regained consciousness, his wife told a Russian blogger, saying he is "able to talk".
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian-born Russian citizen was extradited to Moscow from Dubai on Sunday on suspicion of gravely injuring one of Russia's most senior intelligence officers, according to Russian security officials and investigators.
Investigators described the suspect as a Russian citizen born in the Ternopil region of Soviet Ukraine and alleged that Ukrainian intelligence had tasked him with the shooting. Kyiv has denied any involvement.
Russian media broadcast a video of masked FSB officers escorting a blindfolded man from a small jet in darkness.
The FSB said two alleged accomplices were also identified: one was detained in Moscow while another fled to Ukraine, according to investigators.
President Vladimir Putin thanked UAE leader Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his assistance in the detention, according to Russia's foreign ministry.
The United Arab Emirates has not disclosed how the suspect was apprehended.
The attack occurred just 12 km north of the Kremlin and has sparked questions inside Russia over how a senior intelligence figure could be tracked and targeted.
Alexeyev is one of the most prominent officials involved in Russia's military operations in Ukraine.
GRU chief Admiral Igor Kostyukov is currently leading Russia’s delegation in security-related talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi.
Since December 2024, three officials of Alexeyev’s rank have been killed in or near Moscow.
Behind the front lines, Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in what Russian officials call a "hybrid" shadow conflict involving cyber operations, disinformation, covert sabotage and targeted killings.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President 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.
The GRU’s influence spans covert overseas networks, special forces and advanced cyber units.
Jailed Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, a former FSB officer who has criticised Russia’s military leadership, praised Alexeyev’s "energy and courage" but called the attack a major setback.
"This is a serious blow to our special services," he said on Telegram on Sunday (8 February).
Alexeyev became widely known during Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed Wagner mutiny in June 2023, when he appeared attempting to calm the mercenary chief.
In a widely shared video, Prigozhin said he had come to seize the then-defence minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov.
Alexeyev responded, "Take them then," with a brief chuckle.
The mutiny collapsed and Prigozhin died two months later in a plane crash in August caused by hand grenades detonating inside the aircraft according to President Putin.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately elimi...
An Indian healthcare provider plans to invest $50 million in diagnostic and pharmaceutical projects in Uzbekistan’s Namangan region, aiming t...
A U.S. federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, marking a setback in his ongoing legal ...
Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar has said he does not support Ukraine’s fast-track entry to the European Union and will up...
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is on a five-day visit to China, his fourth trip in four years, highlighting Spain’s push to stre...
Millions of Orthodox Christians across the globe celebrated Easter, known as Holy Pascha, on Sunday (12 April) with midnight liturgies, candlelight processions and deeply rooted local traditions reflecting centuries of faith.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a 32-hour ceasefire introduced to mark Orthodox Easter on Saturday (11 April). Russian officials said Ukrainian drones attacked targets in the Kursk and Belgorod border regions, injuring five people.
In a forceful rebuke to Washington’s foreign policy in the Americas, a senior Russian diplomat has declared that Moscow will never abandon Cuba, pledging ongoing support to help the Communist-run island overcome a severe energy crisis linked to the United States embargo.
Hungary votes on Sunday in a parliamentary election that could loosen Viktor Orbán’s 16-year hold on power. His ruling Fidesz faces a strong challenge from Péter Magyar’s Tisza party, which has led some polls, though many voters remain undecided.
Hungarians vote in elections on Sunday that could see the end of hard right nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s more than 15 year rule. Opinion polls show Orbán’s Fidesz party trailing 45-year-old Péter Magyar’s centre-right opposition Tisza party.
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in a Spanish town.
At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at Haiti’s Laferrière Citadel World Heritage Site, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
A U.S. federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, marking a setback in his ongoing legal battles with major media organisations he accuses of publishing misleading coverage.
Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar has said he does not support Ukraine’s fast-track entry to the European Union and will uphold an opt-out allowing Hungary to avoid contributing to a €90 billion EU loan for Kyiv.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is on a five-day visit to China, his fourth trip in four years, highlighting Spain’s push to strengthen economic and strategic relations with the world’s second-largest economy.
Hungary’s political landscape is entering a new phase after voters brought an end to the long rule of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with analysts pointing to economic discontent and governing fatigue rather than a decisive ideological break.
Millions of people in Sudan are surviving on just one meal a day as the country’s worsening hunger crisis pushes communities closer to famine, humanitarian organisations have warned.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment