(MOSCOW) – A senior official within the Russian military intelligence apparatus was shot several times on 6 February in what appears to be a targeted assassination in the heart of the Russian capital. Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, who serves as the deputy director of the GRU, was attacked at approximately 06:30 as he departed his residence. The Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, has seen his security environment deteriorate as the incident sent significant tremors through the elite circles of the Kremlin.
Russian state media outlets were quick to attribute the assault to Ukrainian operatives, though officials in Kyiv have neither confirmed nor denied involvement. The attack highlights substantial vulnerabilities in Russian domestic security and raises questions regarding the safety of high ranking officials in Moscow. Alekseyev is currently reported to be in a critical condition after receiving three gunshot wounds to the chest.
The General is widely regarded as a primary architect of the invasion of Ukraine and oversees the notorious GRU Unit 29155. This unit is allegedly responsible for various sabotage operations across Europe, including attempts to destroy commercial infrastructure in Poland and targeting international airliners. Alekseyev also played a direct role in coordinating missile strikes on civilian populations in Kherson and managing operations in Mariupol, a city that has become synonymous with Russian atrocities.
Furthermore, Alekseyev was a key figure during the 2023 mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, acting as a negotiator when the Wagner Group occupied the southern military district headquarters in Rostov before marching toward Moscow. His record is also marked by accusations of betrayal and broken promises. During the 2022 siege of the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, Alekseyev personally signed documents guaranteeing humane treatment for Ukrainian prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention. Former captives from the Azov Regiment have since testified that these pledges were worthless, reporting systemic torture, starvation, and the execution of Ukrainian servicemen under his watch.
Ukrainian Defence Intelligence has previously identified Alekseyev as the officer responsible for preparing targeting data for strikes against civilian infrastructure and organizing fraudulent referendums in occupied territories. Whether or not he survives the three bullets to his chest, analysts suggest he is unlikely to return to a functional role in the military command.
The shooting occurred against a backdrop of broader Russian instability. While the capital remained relatively quiet regarding missile strikes on the date of the attack, the Kremlin foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, complained that Ukraine was focused on provocations. This follows a significant prisoner exchange where many Ukrainians returned home after three years in captivity. Emotional scenes were recorded at collection points as families were reunited. In one instance, a mother received a call from a son she believed was deceased and for whom she had already held a funeral.
Simultaneously, the Russian military is facing a tactical crisis at the front. Reports indicate a collapse in certain sectors following the loss of Starlink satellite access. Analysis suggests that nearly half of all Starlink connectivity in Ukraine had been utilised by Russian forces. The service was reportedly terminated for Russian users as Elon Musk’s SpaceX prepares for an initial public offering valued at approximately £1.3 trillion or $1.7 trillion. This loss of communication has created what Russian sources describe as a catastrophe on the battlefield.
The Russian economy is also showing signs of a systemic death spiral. Samalot, the largest property developer in the country with a 19 per cent market share and 10,000 employees, has been denied a government bailout. The Russian Duma stated there is no budgetary funding to support even systemically important businesses, with one deputy chair reportedly saying that those who fail are at fault. This crisis is expected to trigger a chain reaction affecting the construction, steel, and mortgage industries.
Additionally, a severe shortage of Chinese Yuan has seen overnight cash rates jump from 1 per cent to 16 per cent in a single day. As the Yuan is the last significant foreign currency available in Russia, the shortage suggests that China is increasingly demanding hard goods such as oil rather than the Rouble. Domestically, the Russian dictator continues his crackdown on dissent, recently sentencing comedian Artyom Osadchiy to five years and nine months in a penal colony and banning popular comedian Nurlan Saburov for 50 years.
In the international sphere, French intelligence has exposed a Russian disinformation campaign conducted by the Storm 156 group. The operation attempted to falsely link President Emmanuel Macron to the Jeffrey Epstein files. Meanwhile, historians have noted that these current patterns of aggression and disinformation mirror the 1991 Soviet invasion of Lithuania, suggesting a long standing methodology of Kremlin violence.