A senior Russian military intelligence official was seriously wounded in a shooting in Moscow on Friday, shortly after trilateral peace talks involving the US, Russia, and Ukraine concluded in the UAE. Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev remains in critical condition following gunshot wounds to his chest, arm, and leg. The Kremlin has blamed Ukraine for the attack, calling it an attempt to derail ongoing negotiations.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, a 64-year-old deputy head of Russia's military intelligence, was shot outside his Moscow apartment as he left for work. According to Russian investigators cited by Reuters, the assailant fired multiple shots before fleeing the scene, and Alekseyev was rushed to a hospital where he is fighting for his life.
The incident occurred just one day after officials from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine wrapped up another round of talks in the United Arab Emirates. The negotiations resulted in an agreement for a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia, but yielded no progress toward a ceasefire or broader peace deal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the shooting as a "terrorist attack" and accused Ukraine of trying to sabotage discussions between Moscow and Washington, as reported by NBC News.
Alekseyev, a decorated figure honored with the "Hero of Russia" award by President Vladimir Putin, has faced international sanctions. The United States targeted him for involvement in cyberattacks, while the European Union imposed measures after the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England. In 2023, Putin dispatched Alekseyev to negotiate with Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin during a short-lived mutiny; Prigozhin later died in a plane crash that US officials attribute to a bomb or sabotage.
This attack follows a pattern of violence against high-ranking Russian officers. Two months earlier, in December, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate, was killed in a Moscow car bombing that authorities blamed on Ukrainian intelligence. Sarvarov was the third such assassination since late 2024, with Ukraine claiming responsibility for several killings since the war began.
Russian journalists have raised concerns about the security of top military leaders. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the risks, stating, "It is clear that military commanders and high-level specialists are at risk during wartime. But it is not the Kremlin that should be deciding how to ensure their safety. This is a matter for the special services."
Ukraine has not commented on the shooting. Meanwhile, the talks in the UAE led to the White House agreeing to resume high-level military dialogue with Russia—the first since the 2022 invasion—as the US-Russia nuclear arms control treaty expired on Thursday.
