Russia says it has evidence that the Security Service of Ukraine is behind the assassination attempt in Moscow. Kiev denied
The main suspect for the assassination attempt is extradited to Russia from Dubai Photo: Russian Federal Security Service / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Russia's Federal Security Service announced Monday that the two men accused of attempting to kill General Vladimir Alekseev, the number two in Russia's foreign intelligence agency, told hearings that the attack was ordered by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), KyivPost reports. The day before, Ukraine's foreign minister denied any involvement and said “maybe it's their internal struggles,” according to the Kyiv Independent.
The two suspects, identified as Liubomir Korba and Viktor Vasin, were arrested by Russia in connection with last week's assassination attempt on the general. The FSB says Korda was recruited in August 2025, trained in Kiev, and sent to Russia via Moldova and Georgia. According to the Russian secret service, he was to receive 30,000 euros for this mission.
The agency also claimed that Polish secret services were involved in Korba's recruitment, using his son, a Polish citizen living in Katowice. No evidence was provided for this.
Russian security officials said Korba supervised high-ranking military officers in Moscow and was ordered to assassinate Alekseev in December.
The day before, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiha said that Ukraine was not involved in the assassination attempt. “We don't know what happened to that general – maybe it was an internal struggle in Russia,” he told Reuters in an interview.
Russia's allegations against the two men
According to the Russians, he obtained a silenced pistol and an electronic key for the building where the general's apartment was located. The FSB said the key was provided by a woman who lived in the same building as Alekseev and who later left Russia to settle in Ukraine.
The second suspect, Viktor Vasin, is accused of renting an apartment for Korba and helping him move to Moscow. The FSB described Vasin as a supporter of opposition groups and protest movements in Russia.
Korba was arrested over the weekend in Dubai and “handed over to Russia”, the FSB said. He is over 60 years old. Vasin, the alleged accomplice, was detained in Moscow, while another suspect fled to Ukraine.
The attack took place on the morning of February 6, when Alekseev was shot several times on the stairs of his apartment building. He was hospitalized in critical condition, but regained consciousness after surgery, according to Russian media.
Russian general from the GRU, the target of an “assassination” in Moscow. He was rushed to the hospital after being shot
who is the general
Alekseev, first deputy head of the GRU since 2011, was born in Ukraine's Vinnytsia region and rose through the ranks of Russian military intelligence.
He oversaw operations in Syria, helped create the so-called Russian Volunteer Corps, and played an important role in the negotiations during the 2023 Wagner uprising.
In 2017, he was awarded the title of “Hero of Russia”. Western governments have sanctioned him for cyber operations, the poisoning of Skripal and his role in the attack on Ukraine.
Who is Vladimir Alekseev, the GRU general shot in Moscow, involved in the wars in Ukraine and Syria, a novichok attack in the UK and computer attacks in the US
