Moscow accuses the Ukrainian secret services of the attempted assassination of the number two of the GRU
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claims that Ukraine's intelligence services are behind an assassination attempt on a high-ranking official in Russia's military intelligence service (GRU). According to the authorities in Moscow, two suspects would have admitted their involvement in the attack.
Vladimir Alekseiv, number two of the GRU/FOTO:X
The FSB announced on Monday that the two men accused of the attempted assassination of Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseiev, deputy head of the GRU, had confessed, saying the action was ordered by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The suspects, identified as Liubomir Korba and Viktor Vasin, allegedly tried to kill Alekseiev last week in Moscow. According to the FSB, Korba would have been recruited in August 2025, would have been trained in Kiev and would have subsequently entered Russian territory through the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. In exchange for the attack, the Ukrainian services would have promised him the sum of 30,000 dollars, Russian investigators claim.
The FSB also states that Polish intelligence services were also involved in Korba's recruitment, which would have used his son, a Polish citizen living in the city of Katowice, as an intermediary. Russian authorities have not presented evidence to support this claim, writes AFP.
According to the official version, Korba would have carried out surveillance activities for some high-ranking military officers in the Russian capital and would have received, in December, the order to assassinate Alekseiev. He allegedly retrieved a silenced pistol and an electronic key for access to the general's residence from an arms depot near Moscow.
The FSB claims that the access key was given to him by a woman who lived in the same block as Alekseiev and who later left Russia, heading for Ukraine.
The second suspect, Viktor Vasin, allegedly rented an apartment for Korba and helped him move to Moscow. The FSB describes Vasin as a sympathizer of opposition groups and protest movements in Russia.
Korba, aged over 60, was detained over the weekend in Dubai and “handed over to the Russian authorities”, according to the FSB. Vasin was arrested in Moscow, while a third suspect allegedly managed to flee to Ukraine.
The attack took place on the morning of February 6, when Vladimir Alekseiev was shot several times on the stairs of his apartment building, located on Volokolamskoe Road. He was hospitalized in critical condition, but regained consciousness after surgery, according to Russian media.
Vladimir Alekseiev has been the first deputy head of the GRU since 2011. Born in the Vinnitsa region of Ukraine, he rose through the ranks of Russian military intelligence, coordinating operations in Syria, participating in the creation of the so-called Volunteer Corps and having a role in the negotiations during the 2023 Wagner uprising.
In 2017, Alekseiev was awarded the title of “Hero of Russia”. Western countries have included him on sanctions lists, accusing him of involvement in cyber operations, the poisoning of former agent Sergei Skripal and actions directed against Ukraine.
