Russian authorities announced on Sunday that the individual suspected of gunning down a deputy chief of Russia’s military intelligence agency in Moscow had been apprehended in Dubai and extradited to Russia. They claimed that the perpetrator was acting on behalf of Ukraine.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev was hospitalized after being shot multiple times on Friday by an attacker at a residential complex in northwestern Moscow, as stated by Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko. The incident occurred in the wake of a series of high-ranking military officials’ assassinations, which Russia has attributed to Ukraine.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) disclosed that a Russian national, Lyubomir Korba, was captured in Dubai on suspicion of carrying out the attack. In an official statement, the FSB also revealed the identification of two alleged “accomplices,” one of whom was detained in Moscow while the other had reportedly fled to Ukraine.
According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, Korba arrived in Moscow in December with instructions from Ukrainian intelligence services to execute a terrorist act. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov characterized the incident as a potential “terrorist act” orchestrated by Ukraine to disrupt peace negotiations.
The shooting incident occurred shortly after Russian, Ukrainian, and U.S. negotiators concluded talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at resolving the long-standing conflict in Ukraine. The Russian delegation, led by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, included Lieutenant General Alekseyev, who has been the first deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency since 2011.
Tragically, a lethal Russian airstrike in eastern Ukraine resulted in one fatality and two injuries, officials reported. The attack in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, ignited a fire in a nine-story apartment building, causing significant damage.
Additionally, Russia targeted energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s Poltava region, according to Serhii Koretskyi, CEO of Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned gas company. This aggression against Ukraine’s power grid, particularly during winter, is part of Russia’s strategy to undermine Ukrainian resistance, known as “weaponizing winter.”
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy disclosed that the U.S. has set a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to reach a peace agreement. Failure to meet this deadline could result in increased pressure from the Trump administration on both parties to resolve the conflict.
The situation remains tense as both countries navigate through diplomatic negotiations and ongoing military hostilities.
