Russian General Targeted in Assassination Attempt

By Staff, Agencies

A senior Russian military intelligence general was wounded in Moscow on Friday after a gunman allegedly targeted him in an assassination attempt, the Investigative Committee said.

Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, deputy head of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate [GRU], was shot multiple times in the back outside his home in western Moscow and has been hospitalized, officials said.

Officials stated that the shooter had fled the scene and is being sought by police. Investigators and forensic teams are working at the scene.

While Russian officials have not identified those responsible, Ukrainian intelligence has previously branded Alekseev an “international criminal.” Kiev has also been linked to past assassination plots targeting Russian officials and military commanders.

Alekseev, 64, is one of Russia’s top GRU officials and has been its first deputy head since 2011, overseeing anti-terror operations in Syria. He was named a Hero of the Russian Federation in 2017.