Kyiv has rejected claims of involvement in Friday’s attack. Alexeyev, deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, has since regained consciousness following surgery.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday that the men accused of shooting Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, a senior Russian military intelligence official, were promised $30,000 to carry out the attack.
According to the FSB, the suspects confessed to acting on orders from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). The agency claimed that one suspect, identified as Korba, was recruited by the SBU in August 2025 in Ternopil, western Ukraine, trained in Kyiv, and paid a monthly stipend in cryptocurrency. The FSB said the $30,000 payment was offered specifically for the killing of Alexeyev.
Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack, which took place on Friday. Alexeyev, the deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence service, has since regained consciousness following surgery.
The FSB did not present evidence to support its claims. Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the allegations. The detained suspects could not be contacted, and the SBU was unavailable for immediate comment. Polish authorities were also unreachable after the FSB alleged that Polish intelligence services were involved in Korba’s recruitment.
Last Friday, Vibeslyfe reported that Alexeyev, 64, the first deputy chief of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), had been seriously wounded in a suspected assassination attempt in Moscow. He was attacked outside his apartment building in the western part of the capital, where an unidentified gunman fired several shots before fleeing.
Russian authorities said the suspected shooter, a Ukrainian-born Russian citizen identified as Korba, was questioned after being extradited from Dubai. A suspected accomplice, Viktor Vasin, has also been questioned.
In a statement, the FSB said both men had “confessed their guilt” and provided details of the shooting, which the agency said was “carried out on behalf of the Security Service of Ukraine.”