A Russian general was shot at an apartment building in Moscow on Friday and taken to hospital, officials said.
Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement that “an unidentified individual fired several shots” at Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy chief of military intelligence. She did not say who might be responsible or give immediate details about Alekseyev’s condition.
A report by business daily Kommersant, cited by the Associated Press, said the attacker posed as a delivery person and fired at Alekseyev in the stairwell of his apartment building, wounding him in the foot and arm. During a struggle, Alekseyev reportedly tried to wrest the gun away and was shot again in the chest before the assailant fled.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the incident as a “terrorist act” by Ukraine aimed at derailing recent peace talks between Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators that concluded in Abu Dhabi. The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin has been informed, without providing further details. Ukrainian authorities had not commented.
Alekseyev has been deputy chief of Russian military intelligence since 2011 and led intelligence operations during Russia’s intervention in the Syrian civil war.
Russian military officers targeted in the past
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, several senior Russian military officers have been assassinated. The latest prior incident involved Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, who was killed by a bomb placed under his car on December 22.
In April 2025, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed by a car bomb near his apartment building outside Moscow; a suspect was quickly arrested.
Moscow has blamed Kyiv for previous killings. In some cases Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed responsibility, including the December 2024 killing of Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian army’s chemical weapons division, who was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his apartment building.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery