Elena Teslova
08 February 2026•Update: 08 February 2026
MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his assistance in apprehending a suspect in the attempted murder of a high-ranking Russian military official, the Kremlin said on Sunday.
According to a statement, the phone call took place late on Saturday.
Putin expressed gratitude to Sheikh Mohammed "for ensuring effective cooperation between the two countries' security agencies and for the assistance of the Emirati side in apprehending the suspect in the assassination attempt on General Vladimir Alekseyev."
"The leaders also had a further discussion of the issues raised during the president of the UAE's recent visit to Moscow," the statement read.
An assassination attempt was made on Friday against Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev in Moscow. An assailant fired multiple shots at him with a silenced pistol inside his apartment building. The general was seriously wounded but survived.
Competent authorities are investigating the incident. The Moscow prosecutor's office has opened a criminal case, identified suspects, and launched a search for those responsible.
Lt. Gen. Alekseyev is the deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the Russian General Staff.
On Sunday, the Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Viktor Vasin, a suspected accomplice in the attack, in Moscow.
The same day, Lyubomyr Korba, a native of Ukraine, who is alleged to be the direct perpetrator of the crime, was arrested in Dubai with assistance from partners in the UAE and handed over to Russian authorities.
According to FSB data, since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, dozens of attempts on the lives of Russian military personnel and law enforcement officers have been made.
Some have ended fatally, including the killing of Radiation-Chemical Protection Troops Commander Gen. Igor Kirillov, Operational Training Department Chief General Fanil Sarvarov, and Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Department of the General Staff Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik.
Russia classifies the attacks as "terrorist acts." Many of the accused have claimed to have followed orders from Ukraine's Security Service.
Ukrainian intelligence has never directly claimed responsibility, though Western media frequently publishes accounts from alleged SBU representatives taking credit.
