A senior Russian military officer, Vladimir Alekseyev, has been shot in an apartment building in Moscow and rushed to hospital, Russian authorities confirmed on Friday, marking the latest apparent assassination attempt against a top military figure since the war in Ukraine began.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the shooting occurred on Friday morning when “an unidentified individual fired several shots” at Alekseyev before fleeing the scene.
“The victim has been hospitalised,” the agency said in a statement.
Authorities did not immediately disclose the condition of the general or provide details about the suspect.
Alekseyev is a career military officer and serves as the first deputy chief of the Russian general staff, according to his official biography. He previously led intelligence operations during Russia’s military intervention in Syria in support of the now-ousted Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad.
He also played a key role during the 2023 mutiny led by Wagner Group chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, when he was dispatched by the Kremlin to negotiate with the mercenary leader amid the uprising against Russia’s military leadership.
The Investigative Committee said efforts were ongoing to track down those responsible for the attack.
“Investigative actions and operational search measures are being carried out to identify the person or persons involved in committing the aforementioned crime,” Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said.
The shooting comes amid a string of targeted attacks on senior Russian military officials since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Several high-ranking officers have been killed in suspected assassinations, some of which Kyiv has openly claimed responsibility for.
Last month, a Russian court sentenced an Uzbek national to life imprisonment over the 2024 killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s radiological, chemical and biological defence forces.
Kirillov was killed when a booby-trapped scooter exploded as he exited an apartment building in Moscow. Ukrainian officials later said Kyiv had orchestrated the attack.
