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Who is Vladimir Alexeyev? Russian intelligence officer sanctioned by US, EU shot outside Moscow home
Alexeyev, who was born in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union, gradually rose through the ranks to lead operations of Russian military intelligence
Russian military official Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev was hospitalised after being shot several times by an unidentified assailant at his apartment building in Moscow.
Alexeyev's attacker was waiting outside his apartment when the official went to work. He had sustained gunshot wounds to an arm, a leg and his chest during a struggle, Associated Press reported.
Decorated with Hero of Russia medal
The 64-year-old official served as the first deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, since 2011. He was number two in the hierarchy of Russia's GRU military intelligence and the latest military official to have been targeted since the Ukraine war.
The official played a major role in Moscow's military campaign in Syria and was decorated with the Hero of Russia medal in June 2023.
His boss, military intelligence chief Admiral Igor Kostyukov, led the Russian delegation during the Russian, Ukrainian, and US negotiations, which were held in two days of talks in Abu Dhabi. Alexeyev's position meant he would have been closely involved in prosecuting Russia's war in Ukraine.
Alexeyev, who was born in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union, gradually rose through the ranks to lead operations of Russian military intelligence in Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere.
Also read: Russian military official Vladimir Alexeyev shot several times outside Moscow home, hospitalised
Sanctioned by US and EU
The official was placed under US sanctions over Russian cyber interference in the 2016 US presidential election. The European Union also imposed sanctions on him over the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in 2018.
The Russian official was responsible for relations between the Defence Ministry and the Wagner mercenary group. The group is led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who fought in some of the fiercest battles in the early stages of the war in Ukraine.
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Russia says Kyiv behind Moscow shooting
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of being behind the assassination attempt. Without providing evidence, Lavrov said that Ukraine is behind the "terrorist act", accusing Kyiv of trying to "disrupt the negotiation process" searching for an end to the four-year war.
President Vladimir Putin was informed about the attack, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who added that law enforcement agencies need to step up protection of senior military officers during the conflict in Ukraine.
This news comes amid a series of assassinations of military officials and public figures in Russia. Moscow has blamed Kyiv for these incedents with Ukraine claiming responsibility for some of them, Associated Press reported.
