Suspect detained in Dubai over shooting of top Russian general
Suspect detained in Dubai over shooting of top Russian general
FSB says Lyubomir Korba was detained in Dubai over the attack on Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev; two accomplices identified as Moscow probes potential Ukrainian links.
In a developing case that has unsettled Moscow, the Federal Security Service disclosed that Lyubomir Korba, a Russian citizen, was detained in Dubai on suspicion of carrying out the shooting of Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev, the first deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. Alekseyev was hospitalised after being wounded multiple times in the attack on a northwest Moscow apartment building on Friday. The incident has already sparked a broader debate about threats faced by senior military officers amid Moscow’s insistence that Ukraine is behind a string of targeted killings.
The FSB added that it had identified two accomplices: one detained in Moscow and another who allegedly fled for Ukraine. In response, Russian authorities signalled they would pursue all angles while maintaining that the aim of the assault could be to derail ongoing peace talks. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the shooting as an apparent “terrorist act” attributed to Ukraine.
The detention follows a tense backdrop of negotiations among Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in Abu Dhabi, where delegates sought ways to end nearly four years of conflict. The investigation has raised questions about security measures around Russia’s top military officials and the international dimensions of the case. Alekseyev, 64, has served as the deputy head of the GRU since 2011 and has been honoured with the Hero of Russia medal for his role in Moscow’s military operations, including in Syria. In 2023 he appeared on state television during a moment when the Wagner Group briefly seized Moscow’s military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a reminder of the volatile context surrounding Russia’s security apparatus.
As investigators push ahead, observers are watching how this development may influence the ongoing peace talks and Moscow’s broader strategy to respond to perceived threats within and beyond its borders.
