Top Russian basic reportedly behind Salisbury poisonings shot in assassination bid | EUROtoday

A prime Russian army basic, mentioned to be concerned within the 2018 Salisbury poisonings, was shot outdoors his Moscow residence in an alleged assassination bit.

An unidentified gunman fired a number of photographs at Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of the GRU, Russia’s army intelligence arm, earlier than fleeing the scene, the investigators mentioned.

It is the most recent in a collection of assassination makes an attempt Russia has blamed on Ukraine.

Mr Alexeyev, 64, has beforehand been recognised by president Vladimir Putin with a Hero of Russia award. His place meant he would have been carefully concerned in prosecuting Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.

Mr Alexeyev is believed to have been behind the lethal Salisbury poisonings that triggered the tragic demise of mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess, 44, The Mirror reported. The EU imposed sanctions on him over the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018.

A UK public inquiry concluded in December that Mr Putin should have ordered the novichok nerve agent assault on Russian double agent in a “reckless” show of energy that led to the demise of an harmless lady.

Skripal was discovered alongside together with his daughter Yulia slumped unconscious, on a public bench within the southern English metropolis of Salisbury in March 2018 after novichok was utilized to the entrance door deal with of his close by residence. About 4 months later, Sturgess died from publicity to the poison after her associate discovered a counterfeit fragrance bottle which Russian spies had used to smuggle the military-grade nerve agent into the nation, the inquiry mentioned.

Born in Ukraine when it was nonetheless a part of the Soviet Union, Mr Alexeyev was positioned below US sanctions over Russian cyber interference within the 2016 US presidential election.

Russia’s international minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of being behind the assassination try, which he mentioned – with out offering proof – was designed to sabotage peace talks.

There was no speedy remark from Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the warfare in 2022, Ukrainian army intelligence has claimed duty for assassinating a number of senior Russian officers, a few of whom have appeared on a public listing of Ukraine’s enemies.

The Kommersant day by day, quoting legislation enforcement sources, mentioned Mr Alexeyev’s attacker had been ready when he left his residence to go to work and that Mr Alexeyev had sustained gunshot wounds to an arm, a leg and his chest throughout a wrestle.

The Kremlin mentioned it hoped Mr Alexeyev would survive and get well. Mr Putin has been briefed on the taking pictures and Russia’s intelligence providers are investigating, it mentioned.

“It is clear that military commanders and high-level specialists are at risk during wartime,” mentioned Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

“But it is not the Kremlin that should be deciding how to ensure their safety. This is a matter for the special services.”

Security questions

Some pro-Kremlin Russian journalists, warfare bloggers and members of the general public requested why such necessary figures weren’t higher protected.

“How can this happen? Or is it only in films that we see that such people should have security guards? This is not the first time this has happened,” a girl known as Ludmila wrote beneath a state media article on the taking pictures.

A neighbour of Mr Alexeyev, who gave her title as Alessandra, mentioned CCTV within the residence constructing had been working properly, after unconfirmed stories that the gunman had gained entry by posing as a meals supply courier.

Mr Alexeyev’s boss, Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the pinnacle of the GRU, has been main Russia’s delegation in negotiations with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on security-related points of a possible peace deal.

The newest spherical of talks concluded on Thursday. The Kremlin mentioned they had been constructive and that talks would proceed.

Since December 2024, three different officers of the identical rank as Mr Alexeyev have been killed in or close to Moscow. The head of the General Staff’s military coaching directorate was killed by a bomb positioned below his automobile on 22 December final 12 months.

Mr Alexeyev was answerable for relations between the Defence Ministry and the Wagner mercenary group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, which fought in a number of the fiercest battles within the early phases of the warfare in Ukraine.

Prigozhin was important of the defence institution and staged a mutiny in June 2023. Mr Alexeyev was one of many officers despatched to barter with him. The mutiny fizzled out and Prigozhin died in a airplane crash two months later.