An assassination attempt on an “international criminal” and deputy head of the GRU. “Zelensky's provocation” or a crack in Putin's system? The Kremlin elite in the crosshairs
On Friday, February 6, there was an assassination attempt on the deputy head of the Russian military intelligence service GRU, Vladimir Alekseev, in Moscow. The perpetrator shot him in the stairwell of the building where the general lives. Alexeyev was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
The Russian Investigative Committee reported the incident. According to his statement, in a residential building on Volokolamskaya Highway, “an unidentified person fired several shots” at Alekseev, and then fled the scene.
Criminal proceedings were initiated under articles relating to attempted murder and illegal possession and trade in firearms. The wounded general was taken to one of Moscow hospitals. Official information about his health condition has not been provided.
The Telegram channel “Baza”, considered well-informed in law enforcement circles, claims that Alexeyev is in intensive care and his condition is assessed as serious. According to these reports, the general was shot in the back and managed to lose a lot of blood before the doctors arrived. Channel Shot adds that the damage also affected vital organs.
A law enforcement source from the Kommersant daily says that the attack took place around seven in the morning. The general left the apartment, and a company car with a driver was waiting for him in front of the building. On the landing of the staircase, he “came across a man who – according to preliminary findings – entered the building by pretending to be a food delivery person.”
Alexeyev was shot in the arm and leg. According to the newspaper, he tried to take the gun from the attacker, but he fired another shot, hitting the general in the chest.
According to the source, active military resistance”he did not allow the attacker to finish off the victim“. Investigators do not rule out that the perpetrator could have had connections with the Ukrainian secret services. “Baza” and Shot, in turn, report that one of the versions currently being investigated is the involvement of a woman in the attack.
The “Ostorozno, Novosti” channel reports that the incident took place in a building at Szosa Wołokołamska 24. Residents had previously complained about non-working surveillance cameras. The entrance to the building has been secured by the services – tenants can enter and leave only after presenting their documents. Law enforcement authorities already have a description of the attacker as well as his photos and video recordings.
The attack was soon commented on by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He stated that “this terrorist act has once again confirmed that the Zelensky regime consistently pursues provocations aimed at torpedoing the negotiation process, and is ready to do everything to convince its Western sponsors not to abandon the United States in its attempts to block the path to a fair agreement.”
Who is Vladimir Alekseev
64-year-old Vladimir Alexeyev is the first deputy head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (formerly the Main Intelligence Directorate – GRU). He was born in the village of Holodki in the Vinnytsia Oblast in Ukraine. He was appointed deputy head of the GRU in 2011.
In this photo from a video released by the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense on June 23, 2023, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev addresses soldiers at an undisclosed locationAssociated Press/East News/East News
His direct superior is Igor Kostyukov, who headed the Russian delegation during the trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the US in Abu Dhabi. The second round of talks ended the day before, on February 5.
Alexeyev took part in the Russian military operation in Syria. In 2016, the United States placed him under sanctions for “malicious activities in cyberspace” and interference in the US presidential election. A year later he was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. Since 2019, he has also been on the European Union's sanctions list in connection with the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
The media has repeatedly pointed to Alexeev as one of the main curators of Russian “volunteer” formations fighting against Ukraine. The BBC's Russian editorial office wrote that he was one of the most important, although informal, opponents of the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. In May 2023, the general was involved in the creation of a private military company “Redut”, which was to become an alternative to Wagner.
General Vladimir Alexeyev talks to Yevgeny Prigozhin, June 24, 2023.HANDOUT/AFP / East News
On the day of Prigozhin's rebellion, Alexeyev recorded a video appeal to the Wagner Group's mercenaries, calling on them to come to their senses and not succumb to “someone's provocative ideas.” Shortly thereafter, together with Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, he participated in negotiations with Prigozhin at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don. During the conversations, the founder of Wagner lectured the interlocutors in a harsh tone and demanded that they address him as “sir”.
Prigozhin demanded the extradition of the Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, and the then Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu. Alexeyev replied jokingly: – Take it.
The BBC noted that this incident did not harm the general's career. In 2023, “Redut” became the main recruitment project of the Russian Ministry of Defense, and Alexeyev became its chief curator. Many former “Wagnerians” eventually found their way into the structures of this formation.
Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) calls Alexeev an “international criminal.” According to the Ukrainian side, he is responsible, among others, for: for “organizing the preparation of baseline data for conducting missile and air strikes on the territory of Ukraine” and for “legalizing the Russian presence in the occupied territories by organizing the so-called referenda.”
This is not the first such attack in Moscow
Igor Kirillov
In December 2024, General Igor Kirillov, head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces, was killed in Moscow. He was killed by a bomb planted in an electric scooter parked near his house on Ryazan Prospect.
View of the scene of the incident. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian radiological, chemical and biological protection forces, and his assistant died in an explosion in Moscow, December 17, 2024. In a smaller photo, Gen. Igor KirillovAFPTV, SEFA KARACAN / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP / Getty Images
Shortly after the attack, the services announced the arrest of the alleged perpetrator, Akhmadjon Kurbonov. During interrogation, according to Russian law enforcement agencies, he admitted that he was recruited by the Ukrainian secret services. In January 2026, a Moscow court sentenced Kurbonov to life imprisonment.
Jarosław Moskalik
In April 2025, General Jarosław Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff, was killed in Bałaszyka near Moscow. When he was leaving the staircase and passing the car, an explosive charge hidden in the vehicle exploded. A day later, the FSB announced the arrest of the alleged perpetrator, Ignat Kuzin, describing him as an “agent of the Ukrainian secret services.” It was reported that he had a permanent residence card in Ukraine. In November 2025, Kuzin was also sentenced to life imprisonment.
Fanil Sarwarov
On December 22, 2025, in Moscow, on Yasenieva Street, 56-year-old General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff, died as a result of a car explosion. The Investigative Committee reported that the explosive charge was mounted under the car's chassis. According to “Kommersant”, a magnetic mine was used, and the investigation took into account the version about the participation of the Ukrainian secret services in organizing the attack.
