Alekseev, 64, who serves as the First Deputy Chief of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), was attacked outside his apartment building in the western part of the Russian capital by an unidentified gunman who fired several shots before fleeing the scene, according to RT.
A senior Russian military intelligence official, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, has been shot and seriously wounded in a suspected assassination attempt in Moscow, Russian investigators confirmed on Friday.
Alekseev, 64, who serves as the First Deputy Chief of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), was attacked outside his apartment building in the western part of the Russian capital by an unidentified gunman who fired several shots before fleeing the scene, according to RT.
In a statement, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Alekseev sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.
“Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev was shot several times in the back near his place of residence. He has been hospitalised. Law enforcement agencies are carrying out operational-search measures to identify and detain the suspect,” the committee said.
Although officials did not immediately disclose the extent of his injuries, Russian media outlets reported that Alekseev was in serious condition.
The Kommersant newspaper, citing law enforcement sources, reported that the attacker had been waiting for Alekseev as he left his apartment for work and that the general suffered gunshot wounds to an arm, a leg and the chest during a struggle with the assailant.
Investigators and forensic teams have cordoned off the area and are examining CCTV footage from the apartment complex.
A neighbour, identified only as Alessandra, told reporters that security cameras in the building were functioning properly, amid unconfirmed claims that the gunman may have posed as a food delivery courier to gain access.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the attack.
“The president has been informed. We hope that Vladimir Alekseev will survive and recover,” Peskov said.
He added that Russia’s intelligence and security services were handling the investigation.
“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,” Peskov said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Ukrainian authorities have not commented.
However, Ukrainian military intelligence has in the past labelled Alekseev an “international criminal” and has publicly claimed responsibility for assassinating several senior Russian officers since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Alekseev has served as first deputy head of the GRU since 2011 and previously oversaw Russian anti-terrorism operations in Syria.
In 2017, President Putin awarded him the title Hero of the Russian Federation, one of Russia’s highest state honours.
His position places him among the most senior figures involved in prosecuting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
The shooting has raised renewed questions in Russia about the security of top military and intelligence officials. On social media and pro-Kremlin platforms, commentators and war bloggers wondered how such a high-ranking officer could be attacked so close to his home.
“How can this happen? Or is it only in films that such people have security guards? This is not the first time,” one commenter wrote under a state media report.
The attack comes amid a string of deadly incidents targeting senior Russian officials. Since December 2024, at least three other officials of comparable rank have been killed in or near Moscow, including the head of the General Staff’s army training directorate, who died after a bomb planted under his car exploded.
Alekseev is also known to have been responsible for relations between Russia’s Defence Ministry and the Wagner mercenary group, once led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.
During Wagner’s brief mutiny in June 2023, Alekseev was among the officials dispatched to negotiate with Prigozhin.
Prigozhin later died in a plane crash two months after the aborted rebellion.
Meanwhile, Alekseev’s immediate superior, Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the head of the GRU, has been leading Russia’s delegation in talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on security aspects of a possible peace deal.
The latest round of negotiations concluded on Thursday, with the Kremlin describing them as “constructive.”
Some pro-Kremlin commentators, without providing evidence, suggested that the attack on Alekseev could be an attempt to sabotage the ongoing talks.
As investigations continue, Russian authorities say all lines of inquiry remain open.