The assassination attempt on a senior GRU general in Russia came as the first tangible talks to halt hostilities since the full-scale invasion got underway. Sources in Ukraine’s Presidential Office suggest a third party may be trying to destabilize the negotiations, reports Novosti.LIVE, which cited presidential office sources.
According to those sources, the attempt on Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev occurred just as he is leading the Russian group coordinating talks with Ukraine. They believe the timing is no coincidence and points to an effort to derail the process. The Presidential Office stresses that Russian propaganda claims of a “Ukrainian trace” appear implausible under current circumstances. For Kyiv, such an action would be counterproductive, as any disruption to the talks directly harms the country’s interests.
The most likely scenario, the sources say, involves a third party intent on scuttling any agreement. In that view, the target was not only the general but the negotiation mechanism itself, which is at a critical stage.
Russia’s ASTRA outlet, citing the Investigative Committee, reported that an armed attack on Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev took place in Moscow. The shooting happened on the 24th floor of a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway: an unidentified assailant fired several times at the general and fled. Alekseyev suffered a chest wound and was hospitalized. A criminal case has been opened on charges of attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking.
According to sources, the general sustained three wounds and lost a significant amount of blood. The incident occurred as Alekseyev was directly coordinating the work of the Russian negotiating team.
Vladimir Alekseyev is the first deputy head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU) and a key figure in Russia’s military intelligence hierarchy. He has long overseen private military companies, including the Redut and Novichok PMCs, as well as “volunteer” formations deployed in combat operations in Ukraine.
Investigative reports have linked Alekseyev to preparations for the initial phase of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to oversight of private military structures in the war zone. During Yevgeny Prigozhin’s 2023 mutiny, he released a video address urging Wagner fighters to stand down and took part in talks with the Wagner chief.
Alekseyev is under international sanctions. In 2019, the European Union placed him on a list of individuals tied to the use of the Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury. The United Kingdom imposed similar measures in 2020, and in 2016 the United States sanctioned him over Russia’s alleged interference in the U.S. presidential election.
Alekseyev currently serves as deputy to Igor Kostyukov, who heads the Russian negotiating team in the United Arab Emirates, where talks among Russia, Ukraine and the United States on a potential settlement are ongoing.
According to Alekseyev’s neighbors, the shots, the top officer fell and lay covered in blood but remained conscious. They also complained that the entryway cameras were not working and that the Volokolamsky residential complex had effectively become a “through passage.”
