Suspect in attempted assassination of Russian GRU general extradited from Dubai

New details have emerged regarding the assassination attempt on Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeev, the First Deputy Head of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). Alexeev was targeted in a shooting on February 6 at his residence on Volokolamsk Boulevard in Moscow.

The 64-year-old general was struck by three bullets and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. According to reports in the Russian press, Alexeev has since regained consciousness after a successful surgical intervention and a period in a medically induced coma.

Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee, stated that the assailant fired a Makarov-type pistol equipped with a silencer before fleeing the scene.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that Lyubomir Korba, a Russian citizen born in 1960 identified as the direct perpetrator of the attack, was apprehended in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Following his extradition to Russian authorities, Korba was remanded in custody by Moscow’s Zamoskvoretskiy Court. Security footage revealed that Korba fled Russia via an airport just hours after the shooting. Investigations suggest that Korba, a native of Ukraine’s Ternopil region, received instructions from Ukrainian intelligence in December 2025 to carry out a terrorist attack.

In addition to Korba, an alleged accomplice identified as Viktor Vasin, born in 1959, was also apprehended and detained in Moscow.

In a statement immediately following the incident, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov alleged that Ukraine was behind the assassination attempt, asserting that Kyiv intended to undermine the ongoing negotiation process.

Conversely, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha denied the allegations in a statement to Reuters, emphasizing that Ukraine had no involvement in the attack.

Furthermore, investigators have determined that Zinaida Serebritskaya, born in 1971 and suspected of playing a role in the organization of the plot, fled to Ukraine prior to the incident.

Vladimir Alexeev has held high-ranking positions within the GRU since 2011 and is widely recognized for commanding Russian military operations in Syria, earning the title “Hero of Russia.”

The general is also known as one of the key figures who negotiated with Yevgeny Prigozhin in Rostov-on-Don during the Wagner Group mutiny in June 2023.

Alexeev features prominently on US and European Union sanction lists. Western officials have accused him of overseeing major cyberattacks and held him responsible for the 2018 “Novichok” nerve agent poisoning in Salisbury.

The investigation, overseen by the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office, remains ongoing, with over 15 forensic examinations currently being conducted into charges of attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking.