MOSCOW (AP) — The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia announced on Sunday that a suspect in the shooting of Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy chief of Russia's military intelligence agency, has been apprehended in Dubai and subsequently returned to Russia. The shooting incident occurred on a Friday in northwestern Moscow, where Alekseyev was targeted, leaving him hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds, according to Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for the Investigative Committee.
This attack is seen within the context of a concerning trend, following a series of assassinations of high-ranking Russian military officers which Moscow has attributed to Ukraine. The FSB identified the shooter as Lyubomir Korba, a Russian citizen detained in Dubai. The agency further claimed to have identified two accomplices: one captured in Moscow and another who escaped to Ukraine.
In comments surrounding the incident, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov referred to the shooting as an apparent act of terrorism attributed to Ukraine, suggesting it was aimed at obstructing ongoing peace negotiations. However, there has been no immediate response from Kyiv regarding Russia's assertions about the incident.
The shooting transpired just after negotiations aimed at resolving the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine ended in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Alekseyev, 64, has served as the first deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) since 2011 and was recognized with the Hero of Russia medal for his role in military operations in Syria. His recent public appearances included moments during the mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group in June 2023.
Since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, Russian authorities have alleged that Kyiv is responsible for numerous targeted killings of military officials and public figures within Russia, and Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of these attacks. Notably, Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, the head of the Operational Training Directorate, was killed in a car bomb attack in December, while Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik suffered a similar fate in April, when a bomb detonated in his car. A previously Ukrainian resident confessed to the latter attack, claiming to have been hired by Ukrainian security services.
In the aftermath of Moskalik's death, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked on the resulting "liquidation" of prominent Russian military figures, emphasizing a sense of inevitable justice without directly mentioning the specific incident.
Moreover, in December 2024, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the military's nuclear, biological, and chemical defense forces, was killed by a bomb concealed on an electric scooter near his residence. Ukraine's security service took responsibility for this attack as well.
This string of violence against high-ranking military officials underscores the ongoing hostilities and complex dynamics in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, highlighting the increasing risks faced by military leaders in Russia amid accusations and counterclaims from both sides.
