Moscow – A top Russian general involved in military intelligence has been shot and wounded in Moscow, , amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The attack, which occurred just one day after the conclusion of a second round of talks in Abu Dhabi mediated by the United States, has raised concerns about potential sabotage of the peace process.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff – Russia’s military intelligence agency, known as the GRU – was struck by several bullets outside a residential building on Volokolamskaya Street in northwest Moscow. According to reports, the assailant fled the scene. Alekseyev, who led the Russian negotiating team in Abu Dhabi, is currently hospitalized in intensive care and his condition is described as critical, having lost a significant amount of blood. Medical sources indicate that one bullet impacted a vital organ in his abdomen, with others causing injuries to his arm and leg.
Details surrounding the identity of the shooter remain unclear. Initial reports suggest the attacker was dressed as a food delivery person, with conflicting accounts regarding their gender. Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation, interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage.
The 64-year-old General Alekseyev has had a long military career, including service in Syria. He was reportedly the coordinator of paramilitary groups deployed to Ukraine to replace fighters from the Wagner mercenary group, following the group’s brief mutiny last year.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the attack, stating that high-ranking military personnel are under constant threat during wartime, but emphasized that security is the responsibility of the intelligence services. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov directly blamed Ukraine, characterizing the shooting as a “terrorist attack” intended to disrupt the peace negotiations. “This terrorist attack once again confirms the intention of the (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky regime to carry out constant provocations aimed at disrupting the negotiation process,” Lavrov stated.
The shooting comes alongside a series of other setbacks for Russia, including a Ukrainian attack on the Kapustin Yar missile test site in the Astrakhan region, located . This facility is a key location for testing and launching Russia’s most advanced ballistic and hypersonic missiles, including the recently developed Oreshnik missile. Ukrainian military officials released satellite imagery showing damage to at least three hangars or installations at the site.
Further complicating matters for Moscow, reports have emerged from Russian military bloggers – known as “bloggers-Z” – that Russian troops have been disconnected from Starlink, the satellite internet service provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. These troops had been illegally accessing Starlink to guide drones and finding suitable replacements with domestically produced components is proving difficult.
Adding to the pressure, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker announced that the White House will continue to supply arms to Ukraine through its European allies until a peace agreement is reached. “As long as it is necessary to conclude a peace agreement, we intend to continue supplying weapons to our NATO allies, and they will deliver them to Ukraine so that, first of all, it can defend itself,” Whitaker said in a television interview.
This announcement contradicts the Kremlin’s expectation that a change in administration in the United States would compel Kyiv to accept Russia’s terms for a ceasefire. The timing of these events – the shooting of a key intelligence official, the attack on a strategic missile test site, the disruption of satellite communications, and continued Western military aid – presents a complex and potentially destabilizing situation as peace talks continue.
The attack on General Alekseyev is the latest in a string of attacks targeting senior Russian military officials since the start of the war in Ukraine. In , Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was killed by a bomb detonated under his car in Moscow. In of last year, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik was also killed in a car bombing in the Moscow region, an attack the Kremlin also blamed on Ukraine.
