Russian FSB Alleges UK Involvement in Assassination Attempt on GRU General Alekseev

Russian authorities have claimed that British intelligence services orchestrated the assassination attempt on Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev of the GRU.

FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov made this statement.

According to Bortnikov, the investigation has “made significant progress,” with Russian security forces allegedly identifying nearly all individuals involved in planning the attack and its presumed sponsors.

He also announced the detention of several suspects linked to the case, noting that one had reportedly fled to Ukraine.

The FSB claims that Ukrainian intelligence services were behind the assassination attempt, acting under the supervision of a “third country” identified as the United Kingdom.

On February 9, reports suggested that Russian authorities and Kremlin-aligned media attempted to link the attack to Poland through a coordinated information campaign.

According to this version, one alleged perpetrator, Lubomyr Korba, was recruited by Polish intelligence through his son, a Polish citizen named Lubosz Korba.

Another person implicated, Viktor Vasin, is reportedly not related to Korba. He is said to have previously participated in opposition activities in Moscow and allegedly had ties to Alexei Navalny’s organizations.

The FSB also alleges that the Security Service of Ukraine recruited both suspects with a promise of a $30,000 reward for targeting a Russian officer.

Details of the Attempted Attack

On the morning of February 6, an attack took place in Moscow targeting the first deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, responsible for military intelligence.

The attempt on Lieutenant General Alekseev occurred on the 24th floor of a residential building on Volokolamsk Highway. According to reports, the attacker fired multiple shots as Alekseev exited his apartment and then fled the scene.

According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Alekseev was born on April 24, 1961, in the village of Holodki, Vinnytsia Region. He graduated in 1984 from the Margelov Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.

He later served as head of intelligence departments in the Moscow and Far Eastern military districts before being appointed head of the 14th Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

According to the Astra Telegram channel, during the 2023 “Prigozhin rebellion,” Alekseev issued a video message to Wagner PMC members, urging them to halt further actions. He also participated in negotiations with the PMC leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.