Russian General Regains Consciousness After Shooting in Moscow

Sun Feb 08 2026 23:55:32 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev, Russia's deputy head of military intelligence, is reported to have regained consciousness following a surgery after being shot multiple times in Moscow. The incident has raised tensions with blame directed towards Ukraine, which has been denied by Ukrainian officials.

Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev, who was attacked in his apartment building, has regained consciousness after undergoing surgery. Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting, which Russian officials have blamed on Kyiv, a charge Ukraine denies. This incident adds to a series of high-profile attacks on Russian military personnel since the invasion of Ukraine.

A Russian general who was shot several times in Moscow on Friday has regained consciousness after successfully undergoing surgery, according to reports in Russian media.

Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev, who is Russia's deputy head of military intelligence, was rushed to hospital in serious condition after the attack in the north-western outskirts of the capital.

Two suspects have reportedly been arrested and will soon be taken in for questioning.

Russian officials have blamed Kyiv for the shooting, but Ukraine's foreign minister denied involvement, according to Reuters.

Doctors said on Saturday it can be cautiously stated that the threat to [Alexeyev's] life has passed, Russia's state news agency Tass has reported.

The highly decorated general was ambushed on the landing inside his apartment block, where a gunman inflicted three bullet wounds, a source close to the investigation told the Kommersant newspaper.

He was reportedly hit in the chest or abdomen before the attacker and an accomplice fled the scene.

A neighbour in the building on Volokolamsk Highway told Reuters she had been woken by the sound of several shots and had then heard another neighbour screaming for help.

Alexeyev was taken to Moscow hospital and underwent successful surgery. Afterward, he was placed in a medically induced coma but has now regained consciousness. Medical sources stated that the immediate threat to his life has likely passed.

Investigators on Friday opened a criminal case for attempted murder.

Two suspects will be taken for questioning, and a court hearing could take place on Sunday to determine their pretrial detention, according to Kommersant.

Alexeyev, 64, is the latest high-ranking military figure targeted near Moscow since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

As the number two in the main directorate of Russia's GRU military intelligence, he has played a significant role in the ongoing war in Ukraine and was previously awarded the Hero of Russia title for his role in Moscow's military interventions in Syria.

He faced European Union and UK sanctions after the GRU was implicated in the 2018 nerve agent attack in Salisbury, UK, and some believe he was involved in negotiations with Yevgeny Prigozhin during the Wagner Group's mutiny in June 2023.

While no one has claimed responsibility for the shooting yet, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pointed fingers at Ukraine, alleging it was an attempt to disrupt negotiation processes. Contrarily, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha insisted that Kyiv had no involvement.