Russian military official Vladimir Alexeyev shot several times outside Moscow home, hospitalised

Russian military officer, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, was shot several times at his residential building in northwest Moscow by unknown assailants.

A senior Russian military officer, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, was shot outside his residential building in Moscow on Friday.

An investigator works outside a residential building where the assassination attempt on Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev took place in Moscow. (Reuters)

Alexeyev is deputy head of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence. He was immediately rushed to the hospital after the shooting, Reuters reported.

The incident is the latest of the a series of attacks on military officials in Russia. Alexeyev was shot several times at his residential building in northwest Moscow by unknown assailants who fled the scene, the report said, citing Moscow prosecutor's office.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which investigates major criminal cases, said that an “unidentified individual fired several shots” at Alexeyev, according to AFP.

Meanwhile, the committee's spokesperson said that investigation and search operations are being carried out to identify the person or persons involved in the incident.

Who was Vladimir Alexeyev?

Alexeyev was responsible for relations between the Defence Ministry and the Wagner mercenary group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, which fought in some of the fiercest battles in the early stages of the war in Ukraine.

He also led intelligence operations during the Russian intervention in Syria to support the now-ousted leader, Bashar al-Assad.

Frequent attacks on senior Russian officers

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

The attacks have raised questions about the security of such high-level officers, with some targets being killed outside their homes.

Earlier on December 22, the head of the General Staff's army training directorate, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, was killed by a bomb placed under his car, reports said.

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

(With inputs from agencies)