A high-profile general in Russia's military has been shot several times and wounded in Moscow. Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev, 64, was taken to hospital after the attack in a residential block of flats in the north-western outskirts of the capital, and is believed to be in a serious condition. The attacker fled the scene.
Alexeyev is number two in the main directorate of Russia's GRU military intelligence and the latest high-ranking military figure to have been targeted in or near Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
No-one has so far claimed the attack, but senior Russian officials immediately blamed Ukraine, saying it was trying to derail negotiations to end the war.
'The victim has been taken to one of the city's hospitals,' said Svetlana Petrenko of Russia's Investigations Committee (SK), which said it opened a criminal case for attempted murder.
Investigators are searching CCTV footage for clues and began interviewing potential witnesses of the attack on Friday morning on Volokolamsk Highway.
A neighbour of Alexeyev told the Reuters news agency she had been woken by the sound of 'several' shots and had then heard another neighbour screaming for help. 'This is all I heard. Other neighbours rushed out, too. They asked how they could help, should they call ambulance and police, but she had already called them.'
Alexeyev has played a significant role during the war in Ukraine, taking part in talks with Ukraine during the Russian siege of the city of Mariupol in 2022. He was additionally awarded the title Hero of Russia for his contribution to Moscow's military intervention in Syria's civil war.
After the GRU was accused of being behind the 2018 nerve agent attack in Salisbury in the UK, he was placed under European Union and UK sanctions.
The shooting incident has exacerbated the already heightened tensions in the Russian military establishment, reminiscent of previous attacks on military officers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin was being briefed on the situation and expressed hopes for Alexeyev's recovery.
Alexeyev is number two in the main directorate of Russia's GRU military intelligence and the latest high-ranking military figure to have been targeted in or near Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
No-one has so far claimed the attack, but senior Russian officials immediately blamed Ukraine, saying it was trying to derail negotiations to end the war.
'The victim has been taken to one of the city's hospitals,' said Svetlana Petrenko of Russia's Investigations Committee (SK), which said it opened a criminal case for attempted murder.
Investigators are searching CCTV footage for clues and began interviewing potential witnesses of the attack on Friday morning on Volokolamsk Highway.
A neighbour of Alexeyev told the Reuters news agency she had been woken by the sound of 'several' shots and had then heard another neighbour screaming for help. 'This is all I heard. Other neighbours rushed out, too. They asked how they could help, should they call ambulance and police, but she had already called them.'
Alexeyev has played a significant role during the war in Ukraine, taking part in talks with Ukraine during the Russian siege of the city of Mariupol in 2022. He was additionally awarded the title Hero of Russia for his contribution to Moscow's military intervention in Syria's civil war.
After the GRU was accused of being behind the 2018 nerve agent attack in Salisbury in the UK, he was placed under European Union and UK sanctions.
The shooting incident has exacerbated the already heightened tensions in the Russian military establishment, reminiscent of previous attacks on military officers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin was being briefed on the situation and expressed hopes for Alexeyev's recovery.
