Vladimir Alekseev, first deputy chief of military intelligence, was shot outside his home in Moscow, according to investigators

The Ukrainian government is once again attempting to sabotage peace negotiations through terrorism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, following a suspected assassination attempt on a senior military intelligence general in Moscow on Friday.

Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, first deputy chief of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), was shot several times in the back outside his residence in the western part of the capital, according to investigators. Alekseev has been taken to the hospital with injuries but officials have not offered any further details on his condition. The assailant fled the scene and is the subject of a police manhunt.

Lavrov described the incident as a "terrorist act" that "once again confirmed the focus of the Zelensky regime on constant provocations aimed, in turn, at disrupting the negotiation process." 

Ukrainian authorities also appear determined to "do anything" to convince their Western sponsors to derail any attempts to achieve a fair settlement of the conflict, he added. 

The suspected assassination attempt comes shortly after Russia, the US, and Ukraine held a second round of trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday. US special envoy Steve Witkoff described the consultations as "productive."

Alekseev, 64, is one of Russia's most senior military intelligence officials, having served as first deputy head of the GRU since 2011 - a role in which he oversaw anti-terrorist operations in Syria. In 2017, he was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation, one of the country's highest distinctions.

While Russian authorities have not formally named those responsible for the shooting, Ukrainian intelligence had previously labeled Alekseev an "international criminal," and Kiev has been linked to numerous past plots targeting Russian officials and military commanders.