Russia has accused Ukraine of orchestrating an attempted assassination of Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, a senior military intelligence official, who was shot in Moscow. The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, claimed the attack was an attempt by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to derail peace negotiations, following talks in Abu Dhabi earlier this week. No evidence has been provided to support these allegations.
General Alekseyev, a key figure in Russia's GRU intelligence service, was taken to hospital after being shot. Pro-Kremlin Ukrainian figure Oleg Tsaryov said the general had undergone surgery and remained in a coma. Ukraine has not officially commented on the incident, but Denys Prokopenko, commander of Ukraine's Azov regiment, stated that if Alekseyev survived, he would 'never sleep peacefully again', accusing him of war crimes against Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.
The shooting is seen as a further failure of Russia's security services to protect high-ranking military personnel within the country. Meanwhile, the European Commission has proposed new sanctions against Russia, urging member states to adopt them before the fourth anniversary of the full-scale war. Norway also warned of potential increased Russian spying and sabotage aimed at undermining Oslo's support for Ukraine.
