World
Top Russian General Shot and Rushed to Hospital in Moscow
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence, was rushed to hospital after being shot in northwest Moscow on Friday by an unknown assailant who fled the scene. The Moscow prosecutor’s office stated that Alexeyev, born in Soviet Ukraine, had been targeted multiple times.
Alexeyev is part of a series of high-profile attacks targeting senior military officials since the start of the war in Ukraine. Moscow has blamed these incidents on Kyiv. In at least three other cases since December 2024, Russian officers of his rank were killed or wounded near their homes. These attacks have led to criticism from influential war bloggers for what they see as inadequate protection.
Since June 2023, Alexeyev was involved in negotiations with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group. The mutiny staged by Prigozhin against Defense establishment officials, including Alexeyev, ended when Prigozhin died in a plane crash two months later.
Alexeyev’s role included relations between the Defence Ministry and Wagner, which played a crucial part in early battles during the war in Ukraine. His assassination comes amid continuing tensions over military operations and leadership disputes within Russia’s security forces.