The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced today that a man suspected of shooting the deputy head of the Russian military intelligence service in Moscow was detained and handed over to Russia in Dubai.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev was shot several times outside his apartment in the northwestern part of Moscow on Friday and was taken to hospital, and according to initial reports, he is in a critical condition.
The attack followed a series of assassinations of high-ranking military officials that Russia blames on Ukraine.
Suspect’s arrest
The FSB stated that Ljubomir Korba, a citizen of Russia, was arrested in Dubai on suspicion of shooting Alekseev. In the statement published on the FSB portal, it was also stated that two “accomplices” in the attack were identified – one was detained in Moscow, while the other, as it is claimed, “went to Ukraine”.
Asked about the attack, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was up to police agencies to continue the investigation, but added that the incident appeared to be a “terrorist act” by Ukraine aimed at disrupting peace talks.
For now, there is no comment from Kiev on the Russian accusations, reports AP.
Context: negotiations in Abu Dhabi
The wounding of a high-ranking military official came a day after the end of two days of negotiations between the Russian, Ukrainian and American delegations in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with the aim of ending the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine. The Russian delegation was led by the head of the GRU, Admiral Igor Kostyukov.
Vladimir Alekseyev (64) has been the deputy director of the Russian military intelligence service (GRU) since 2011. He was awarded the Hero of Russia medal for his role in the Russian military campaign in Syria. He was one of the key officials in the negotiations with Yevgeny Prigozhin during the short-lived rebellion of the Wagner group in the summer of 2023. He is under US sanctions for his alleged involvement in attempts to interfere in the 2020 US presidential election.
