Tensions gripped Russia’s capital after a shocking daylight shooting wounded high-profile Lt Gen Vladimir Alekseyev on February 6, 2026. The military intelligence stalwart was ambushed and hit by multiple bullets adjacent to a northwest Moscow apartment block on Volokolamskoye Highway, then airlifted to care.
Spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko from the Investigative Committee outlined the formal case under murder attempt and weapons statutes, vowing relentless pursuit. The gunman remains at large after the brazen assault.
Crime scene units, alongside digital forensics on cameras and doorbells, are building a timeline. Witness interviews and dragnet operations intensify to pierce the veil of anonymity shrouding the attackers.
Context looms large: Alekseyev helms intelligence ops amid the protracted Ukraine conflict sparked in 2022. Recent precedents include the fatal car blasts snuffing out Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov in late 2025 and Lt Gen Yaroslav Moskalik earlier that year—both pinned to explosives.
Such hits signal sophisticated operations breaching inner sanctums, prompting beefed-up protocols for brass. Absent claims or leads, the Alekseyev case probes deeper into motives ranging from revenge to regime threats. As he stabilizes, revelations may illuminate a perilous landscape endangering Moscow’s strategic core.