Russian army general wounded in Moscow

Lieutenant General of the Russian Defence Ministry Alekseev wounded in Moscow

In the Russian capital, an unknown person opened fire on a lieutenant general of the Russian Defence Ministry Andrey Alekseev, who is the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the Russian media.

According to preliminary data, the attacker shot the official several times in the back and fled the scene. After the assassination attempt, Alekseev was hospitalised, and doctors assess his condition as serious.

Position and role in the military system of the Russian Federation

Alekseev is Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Vladimir Kostyukov, who heads the Russian negotiating team in the United Arab Emirates.

Since 2011, he has served as First Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff.

Biography and activities

According to publicly available data, Alekseev was born in the village of Holodky in Vinnytsia region, but he built his military career in Russia, graduating from the Ryazan Higher Airborne School.

In 2017, he was awarded the title of «Hero of Russia» for his leadership of operations in the Middle East, particularly in Syria.

He is also called one of the key organisers of the creation of the private military company Wagner. During the uprising Evgeny Prigozhin He acted as an intermediary and public critic of the PMC's actions.

In addition, Alekseev was involved in the formation of the so-called «Volunteer Corps» of the Russian Ministry of Defence, which integrated the Redoubt PMC and the Espagnola Brigade, formed from football ultras.

Sanctions and charges

In Ukraine, he is listed by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine as a person responsible for identifying targets for missile, drone and air strikes on civilian infrastructure.

In the West, Alekseev is under sanctions for organising cyberattacks on the servers of the US Democratic Party during the 2016 elections.