Russian Military Intelligence Deputy Chief Shot in Moscow

Russian officials announced on Sunday that a man suspected of fatally shooting the deputy chief of Russian military intelligence in Moscow has been apprehended in Dubai and subsequently extradited to Russia. This individual is believed to have been acting on behalf of Ukraine.

Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeev, who was shot multiple times in his northwestern Moscow apartment, was hospitalized on Friday, according to Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee. This incident follows a series of assassinations of high-ranking military officials that Russia attributes to Ukraine.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) reported that a Russian national, Lyubomir Korba, was detained in Dubai. The FSB statement mentioned that two accomplices have also been identified, one of whom was arrested in Moscow while the other reportedly fled to Ukraine.

On Telegram, the Russian Investigative Committee stated that Korba arrived in Moscow in December, allegedly with directions from Ukrainian intelligence to conduct terrorist acts.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, when questioned about the shooting, suggested that it was primarily a law enforcement concern, but labeled it a clear “act of terrorism” by Ukraine intended to disrupt peace negotiations.

No immediate response has come from Kiev regarding these accusations from Russia.

This shooting happened just a day after negotiations among Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in Abu Dhabi concluded, aimed at resolving nearly four years of conflict in Ukraine. Admiral Igor Koschukov, who leads the Russian military intelligence and is Alexeev’s superior, headed the Russian delegation.

At 64 years old, Alexeev has served as the first deputy head of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, since 2011. He received the Order of the Hero of Russia for his contributions to military operations in Syria. Footage from June 2023 showed him on state television interacting with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner group, during a rebellious episode in Rostov-on-Don.

Since the onset of Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine in 2022, Russian officials have blamed Kiev for several targeted killings of military personnel and public figures, with Ukraine owning up to some of these attacks.