Who is Vladimir Alexeyev? Senior Russian military intelligence official shot outside Moscow home

A senior Russian military officer, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, was shot outside his residential building in Moscow on Friday. Alexeyev, who serves as deputy head of the GRU, was immediately taken to the hospital following the attack, Reuters reported.

The shooting is the latest in a series of attacks targeting military officials in Russia. According to the report, Alexeyev was shot several times outside his residence in northwest Moscow by unknown assailants who fled the scene, citing the Moscow prosecutor’s office.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major criminal cases, said an “unidentified individual fired several shots” at Alexeyev, according to AFP. A spokesperson for the committee added that investigation and search operations are underway to identify those responsible for the incident.

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Who is Vladimir Alexeyev?

Vladimir Alexeyev is the first deputy chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and was shot three times in the back inside the entrance hall of his residential building.

He is responsible for managing relations between the Defence Ministry and the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is involved in some of the fiercest fighting during the early stages of the war in Ukraine. He also previously led intelligence operations during Russia’s intervention in Syria in support of the now-ousted leader, Bashar al-Assad.

Russian officials have been assassinated since the start of the war in Ukraine, with Moscow blaming Kyiv for the attacks. In some instances, Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed responsibility.

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These incidents have raised concerns over the security of high-ranking officers, with several targets attacked or killed outside their homes. Earlier, on December 22, the head of the General Staff’s army training directorate, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, was killed when a bomb placed under his car exploded, reports said.

Last month, a Russian court sentenced an Uzbek man to life imprisonment for the 2024 killing of Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian army’s radiological and biological defence forces. Kirillov was killed when a scooter exploded as he was leaving his apartment.