An unidentified assailant fired several shots at Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, the first deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, Russian news agencies reported (1, 2, 3) earlier today, citing the Investigative Committee. The attack took place in a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway in Moscow, according to Interfax.
According to the reports, the attacker fired several shots into Alexeyev’s back and fled the scene. A search for the assailant is currently underway.
A report by the daily newspaper Kommersant said the general was wounded in the leg and arm. Alexeyev was reportedly also shot in the chest as he tried to wrestle the gun from the attacker and was hospitalized in critical condition after a bullet struck a vital organ.
A criminal investigation has been opened over the attempted killing.
Alexeyev serves as the first deputy chief of the GRU. During the mutiny led by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in the summer of 2023, Alexeyev recorded a video appeal urging Wagner fighters to “come to their senses” and later took part in negotiations with Prigozhin.
Alexeyev also oversaw the creation of a new private military company, Redut, which was intended to replace Prigozhin’s Wagner Group, The Insider previously reported. A separate investigation found that Alexeyev also supervises the international Silk Way Rally project and has used the races to place intelligence operatives and establish political contacts.
In 2019, the European Union, followed by the UK in 2020, placed Alexeyev under sanctions in connection with the use of the Novichok nerve agent in the 2018 poisoning in Salisbury, according to the EU sanctions listing.
The Insider was able to determine that the incident occurred at the Volokolamskoye 24 residential complex. In a residents’ chat reviewed by the editorial team, locals complained that security cameras were not functioning at the time of the shooting and that the building was effectively open to anyone.
“Right now, even though it’s a sad situation, it’s a strong precedent to show the management company that the cameras must work. I filed requests many times asking for repairs. Security refers us to the management company, and I wrote to them and discussed it,” one resident wrote.
Others responded that repairs to the cameras had been promised after the New Year.
“I just heard them discussing that there are no proper cameras and no video recordings either. A security guard at the Magnet store was reviewing footage from an exterior camera,” wrote another resident.
Locals also said that access to the building is inconsistent. Some people, including delivery couriers, are reportedly barred from entering. “There are problems with letting people in, and getting out requires going through a guy at a desk,” one resident wrote.
The Investigative Committee said a criminal case has been opened under articles covering attempted murder and the illegal possession of firearms.