Deputy chief of Russia’s military intelligence agency shot in Moscow

Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, the first deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, was hospitalized Friday after being shot multiple times inside a residential building in Moscow, Russian investigators said.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said an unidentified assailant opened fire and fled the scene. Alexeyev was taken to a Moscow hospital; his condition has not been officially disclosed.

The Telegram channel Baza, which is known for its ties to Russia’s security services, reported that the general is in intensive care and listed in serious condition. According to the channel, he was shot in the back and lost a significant amount of blood before medics arrived.

A criminal case has been opened on charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms.

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Alexeyev has served as the GRU’s first deputy head since 2011. Investigations by Radio Free Europe have identified him as one of the senior officials overseeing Russia’s so-called “volunteer” formations fighting in Ukraine.

In June 2023, Alexeyev took part in talks with Yevgeny Prigozhin during the Wagner mutiny, alongside Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov.

He has also been sanctioned by Western governments. In December 2016, the United States government imposed sanctions on him over cyberattacks aimed at influencing the U.S. presidential election. In 2019, the European Union sanctioned him in connection with the Skripal poisonings in England.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate has described Alexeyev as an “international criminal.” According to the agency, he is responsible for “coordinating the preparation of targeting data for missile and air strikes against Ukrainian territory” and for “legitimizing Russia’s presence in occupied territories through the organization of so-called referendums.”